By EDGAR GARCIA
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Red, blue, white, green, yellow, purple, and almost every other color of chalk covered Houston Street Oct. 13 at Chalk It Up, an annual event to celebrate art.
Messages and arrows in chalk lined the sidewalks from the entrance of the Artpace building to the event on Houston Street.
Red balloons were placed on trees on Houston Street to celebrate the ninth annual Chalk It Up event.
The first giant mural by the entrance was a huge purple, black, and white drawing, which stated, “The Walking Dead – Season 3 – Sun., Oct 14.”
People were forming a line to take a picture with the zombie mural, which was created by a fan of the television series on AMC; the artist did not sign his or her name.
Children and adults smiled and took photos along Houston Street, and volunteers in red shirts passed out red Artpace stickers to individuals. The organization used this as a way to count attendance.
“It is my first time (to volunteer) and apparently it’s a total success,” volunteer Monica Allen said.
Big plastic containers were placed in the middle of the street, inviting anyone to walk up and grab a chalk to express or share ideas.
Popular super heroes such as Batman and Spider Man were drawn, as well as murals that reminded people that voting is important.
Cartoon characters, Finn and Jake from Adventure Time, were drawn by different people in different parts of the street.
Historic people such as painter Frida Kahlo, were drawn along the sidewalk by an unknown artist.
Another mural contained a message that reminded people to take care of planet Earth.
Shelly Bosse, manager and site coordinator, represented the Communities in Schools organization, and also shared her passion with thousands of people by drawing a colorful mural that represented the importance of keeping kids in schools.
”Our mission is to prevent students from dropping out,” Bosse said.
Furthermore, Bosse explained that their mural included the logo of her group, which is the shape of a student and a graduation hat.
“We focus on 70 schools of nine schools districts here in San Antonio … we encourage and help students to graduate from high school by tutoring, taking them to field tips, and overall just keeping them engaged,” Bosse said.
Raspas, hamburgers, tacos, and many more food stands were sold along the side walk on Houston Street.
“This is my first year attending Chalk It Up. It is exiting and the food is very good,” nursing sophomore Jennifer Guzman said.
Casa Salazar, established 14 years ago on 216 E. Houston St., said their Mexican art sales increase every year that Artpace celebrates Chalk It Up. “This event is great because it motivates young people to express their ideas and share their creative side,” employee Berta Valdez said.