Chalk On The Town July 20th, Art on the Town

Appleton Downtown, Inc is excited to offer “Chalk on the Town” as a special feature to its July 20 Art on the Town series event.  The popular series is designed to shine the spotlight on the arts in Downtown Appleton on the third Friday of each month from June through September. All series events are free and open to the public.

The July 20th installment, sponsored by Peterson, Berk & Cross, will feature special daytime art activities as a prelude to the evening event, which runs from 6-9 p.m.  The special activities are part of a collaborative effort between ADI, The Building for Kids Children’s Museum, Lawrence University, The Trout Museum of Art, Richeson Art School & Gallery and Downtown business owners to celebrate the arts by creating sidewalk chalk art pieces in front of participating businesses, beginning at 2 p.m. the day of the event.  The 2012 theme is Farm to Plate.

Interested members of the public are also invited to chalk a design of their choosing in the Downtown area. Adults who wish to participate in this fun activity are encouraged to complete a brief registration form on The Trout Museum of Art website  www.troutmuseum.org  July 2-19. All participating members of the public and businesses will qualify to compete in a Chalk Art Masterpiece Contest, with judging to take place at 7:30 p.m.  Prizes include Downtown Appleton gift certificates and art packages from Richeson School of Art & Gallery.

Additionally, a People’s Choice favorite will be chosen based on comments posted to Facebook about contest photos. Online voting will be open from July 24-August 1.  For more information, visit the ADI website at www.appletondowntown.org.

Other July Art on the Town event highlights include a Children’s Chalk Area in Houdini Plaza hosted by The Building for Kids from 2-5 p.m. This special area is designed to encourage children to embrace the visual arts by creating their own chalk art piece in the plaza. Music and face painting will be available and participants will be given a free chalkboard and chalk to take home while supplies last.  In conjunction with the plaza activities, Richeson School of Art & Gallery will offer mini art lessons and projects for children.  Although all activities are free, pre-registration is requested to help organizers better determine the need for supplies.  To pre-register, visit The Building for Kids website at  www.buildingforkids.org July 2-19. 

Visitors to The Building for Kids July 9-22 will also be invited to participate in chalk projects, including creating chalk, making paper, learning about Claude Monet and experimenting with the effects of chalk on different surfaces in the museum’s DaVinci Art Studio.

July 2012 Downtown Appleton Art on the Town Event 

Billed as “a night of food, fun, and fine art,” the Art on the Town series is a unique mix of music, performance art and visual arts designed to bring a new rhythm to the nightlife both Downtown and along Appleton’s Riverfront.  This year, 22 venues are opening their doors each evening of the series to offer a variety of free arts-related activities, including visual art displays, demonstrations, chalk art creation and music, along with mouth-watering treats.

“We are so pleased with the positive community response to this series,” noted Anne Wiegman, marketing director for ADI.  “This is our second year offering the Chalk on the Town feature, which was an overwhelming hit last summer.”

Now in its seventh year, the Art on the Town series continues to give shoppers and visitors the opportunity to experience Downtown Appleton’s thriving nightlife while supporting the artistic endeavors of arts-related organizations and businesses in the community.

Participating 2012 venues include:

• The Fire, 230 E. College Ave.
• dainty daisies, 227 E. College Ave.
• Studio 213, 213 E. College Ave.
• Just Act Natural, 129 E. College Ave.
• Eco Candle, 123 E. College Ave.
• hey, daisy!, 121 E. College Ave.
• a. boutique, 103 W. College Ave.
• Shear Chaos, 103 W. College Ave.
• The Trout Museum of Art, 111 W. College Ave.
• Mystical Earth Gallery, 112 E. College Ave.
• Murray Photo & Video, 10 E. College Ave.
• In Times Past, 10 E. College Ave.
• Time on Our Hands, 10 E. College Ave.
• The Vintage Garden, 201 W. College Ave.
• Angels Forever-Windows of Light, 310 W. College Ave.
• Fox River House, 211 S. Walnut St.
• Coventry Glassworks & Gallery, 514 W. College Ave.
• Muncheez Pizzeria, 600 W. College Ave.
• Globally Sound Fair Trade, 604 W. College Ave.
• Colt’s Timeless Tattoos, 612 W. College
• The Mill Boutique, 425 W. Water St.
• Eye Candy Ink, 101 W. Edison Ave.

The Richeson School of Art & Gallery will also be participating with a featured artist and demo in Houdini Plaza during the evening event activities.

For transportation convenience, the free Johnson Bank Downtown Cool Trolley will be available during the event to take visitors through Downtown Appleton and the Riverfront.

As a footnote for art lovers, the Art on the Town series is timed to coincide with the Art Market – a once-a-month special feature of the Downtown Appleton Farm Market – on the third Saturday of each month, June through September.