Reader: Chalk up a short life span as one of the charms of chalk art

On Tuesday, artist Kyle Banister and a crew of Southwest Airlines employees and students from the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design spent four hours creating a masterpiece. And just a few minutes later, it was gone. That very short life span is one of the challenges, as well...

By Patricia Calhoun

May 24, 2012

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On Tuesday, artist Kyle Banister and a crew of Southwest Airlines employees and students from the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design spent four hours creating a masterpiece. And just a few minutes later, it was gone.

That very short life span is one of the challenges, as well as one of the charms, of chalk art.

Says Tone M:

I've been a chalk artist for years, I get it, but what I tell everyone is that the attraction is the story involved. Jeanne-Claude said once that she believed in once upon a time. The story transcends the art: I've heard people describe past pieces to me that they've seen and they make them sound much better then I remember them. It's that experience that you share that makes ephemeral art so appealing.

Banister's piece was done as a preview for the tenth annual Denver Chalk Art Festival, which will land in Larimer Square June 2-3. Find more information here.

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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