Marietta ChalkFest 2014 Brings Over 40,000 People to Marietta Square

Ken Mullen & Hector Diaz AKA “The Chalk Guys” created a 15ft X 30ft 2D 3D illusion piece of the Headless Horseman. Their sponsors were City of Marietta, DMDA, and Elite Event Rental. This is the first year that the Marietta ChalkFest has introduced a piece of this scale to its festival. Many people lined up to see the illusion of this piece through the lens that the artists had set up. (Photos Used with Permission by Ken Mullen & Hector Diaz)

Staff Report

During October 11 and 12, 2014, Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art presented its annual Marietta ChalkFest on Marietta Square. The festival brought in over 40,000 people to come and witness 45 professional contracted chalk artists creating mural size street paintings using chalk pastels.

Covering half of the Square on West Park Square and N. Park Square, the professional artists came from 8 different states including California and Florida. Highlights of the festival included 2014 People’s Choice Award Winner Beth Shistle sponsored by Personalized Cardiology, a 15ft X 30ft 2D 3D illusion piece of the Headless Horseman by Ken Mullen & Hector Diaz AKA “The Chalk Guys” sponsored by City of Marietta, DMDA, and Elite Event Rental as well as new additions of a vendors market and free evening concert featuring Prime in Glover Park.

In addition, this year’s non-professional juried chalk competition brought in over 100 individual participants of all ages and 10 schools. The addition of school teams is a new feature to this year’s ChalkFest and will continue to be a part of the ChalkFest itinerary for next year.

The Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art opened free admission to the public during ChalkFest Weekend with the Chatov Retrospective: 100 Years of Painting and Atlanta Fine Arts League exhibitions on display until December 14.

“2014 Marietta ChalkFest is just the beginning. I’m hoping to expand the festival so that all sides of Marietta Square are filled with mural size street paintings,” says Sally Macaulay, Executive Director of Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art. “Each year is aimed to become bigger and better and help welcome more people to build community through art that is Marietta Square.”