Rain didn't stop Chalk Howard Street festival - but it may have affected quality
For the past few months, I've seen plenty of social media ads, bus shelter ads and articles talking up the Chalk Howard Street festival. Professional artists and regular folks would have a chance to use chalk to draw whatever they can on the block of Howard Street east of the eponymous 'L' station, at the heart of the Juneway Terrace - the northernmost portion of Rogers Park, right at Chicago's north city limits. In a racially diverse Rogers Park, this area has been traditionally known as the majority-black portion, and the poorest portion - though the waves of gentrification has reached that part of Rogers Park, too.
All of the Chalk Howard Street ads I've seen emphasized the eye-popping 3-D chalk drawings that looked like they almost leaped off the sidewalk.
https://instagram.com/p/B0J8_clgV5-
https://instagram.com/p/B0KY_WVlOfI
https://instagram.com/p/B0Jeos2AEro
Chalk Howard Street was scheduled to take place in Saturday, July 20, when forecasts said there was going to be rain in the second half of the day. By the preceding Friday, I knew I had to cover an event in west suburban Bellwood in the morning, but since the festival was scheduled to run until 8:00 PM, I figured I'd cover the event, head back up north, see the chalk drawings and then do some work at the nearby Sol Cafe coffee shop. But then, my mom told me that we were going to see the Goodman Theater production of "Music Man." Now, I remember discussing that this was a play that was happening. I don't remember agreeing to attend... But I could have forgotten, and, given that Grandma Nina was definitely coming, I felt like I didn't really have a choice.
(Ironically, I did consider inviting my mom to Chalk Howard Street, but I figured she'd be too busy)
The production was actually fairly good (the Chicago Reader's review sums it up fairly decently). But it did mean that, by the time it ended, I figured I would have to scramble to get from downtown Chicago to the city's north end. And it wasn't long after the 'L' train crossed the Chicago River that the rain started pouring. And pouring harder.
Chicago's weather is a fickle thing, so my first thought was to wait and see if the rain would last. It did. Then, I seriously contemplated just heading home... But I decided against it. My building was only five 'L' stations away from Howard Street, so going there wouldn't take me too terribly out of my way. By the time the Red Line 'L' train was at Wilson, I was honestly curious to see what the festival and the chalk drawings looked like in all that downpour.
When I got to Howard, the rain stopped. And I saw that organizers did take some measures to protect the art.
And that plastic covering seems to have protected some
But others didn't fare as well
This one was kind of 50/50
And the eye-popping 3-D pieces still looked impressive as paintings, but they didn't look like they were practically popping up off the sidewalk
Not that it stopped people from taking pictures
And I will always wonder (or, at least I will wonder until the next year's Chalk Howard Street) - did the colors really look better before the rain, or did Instagram filters make the art pop (or some combination of both)?
I wonder if the other chalk drawings - the non-professional stuff that went into smaller squares - got any kind of protection, but it definitely looked faded. And it offered an interesting range of skills.
I couldn't help but wonder if those were meant to be Stars of David or just plain stars. In Rogers Park, both are valid possibilities.
I know this one was by the folks at the Factory Theater on the south side of the street
As I headed toward the 'L' station, I saw an artist start to paint a portrait, using water to blend some of the colors together
And people did seem to enjoy the art, even somewhat faded and rained on
But I also couldn't help but notice some locals casting dirty looks at the fences that partially blocked off the block, while some white families with kids looked uneasily at the crowd hanging by the currency exchange. A bit later, I overheard a light-skinned black woman (calmly) telling off a white woman for complaining that a man smoking nearby was making her uncomfortable.
"This is how black men get shot in America!" she proclaimed.
Oh, and I couldn't help but notice that, out of all the eateries around that stretch of Howard Street, the one place visitors seemed to flock to was a new, hipstery-looking bar.
As it's often the case, some locals took it as an opportunity to promote their own thing. Apparently, there was an open mic taking place a few buildings north on Paulina Avenue at 7:00 PM. If I didn't have not one, but two articles due (because, remember, I planned my day before I knew I would see Music Man), I might have checked it out. But I don't feel too bad - after some online sleuthing, I discovered that it was a regular, weekly thing, so I might check it out next week.
All and all - I don't regret check out Chalk Howard Street. I just have to wait until this year to find out for sure just how 3-D those chalk paintings are really supposed to be.
All of the Chalk Howard Street ads I've seen emphasized the eye-popping 3-D chalk drawings that looked like they almost leaped off the sidewalk.
https://instagram.com/p/B0J8_clgV5-
https://instagram.com/p/B0KY_WVlOfI
https://instagram.com/p/B0Jeos2AEro
Chalk Howard Street was scheduled to take place in Saturday, July 20, when forecasts said there was going to be rain in the second half of the day. By the preceding Friday, I knew I had to cover an event in west suburban Bellwood in the morning, but since the festival was scheduled to run until 8:00 PM, I figured I'd cover the event, head back up north, see the chalk drawings and then do some work at the nearby Sol Cafe coffee shop. But then, my mom told me that we were going to see the Goodman Theater production of "Music Man." Now, I remember discussing that this was a play that was happening. I don't remember agreeing to attend... But I could have forgotten, and, given that Grandma Nina was definitely coming, I felt like I didn't really have a choice.
(Ironically, I did consider inviting my mom to Chalk Howard Street, but I figured she'd be too busy)
The production was actually fairly good (the Chicago Reader's review sums it up fairly decently). But it did mean that, by the time it ended, I figured I would have to scramble to get from downtown Chicago to the city's north end. And it wasn't long after the 'L' train crossed the Chicago River that the rain started pouring. And pouring harder.
Chicago's weather is a fickle thing, so my first thought was to wait and see if the rain would last. It did. Then, I seriously contemplated just heading home... But I decided against it. My building was only five 'L' stations away from Howard Street, so going there wouldn't take me too terribly out of my way. By the time the Red Line 'L' train was at Wilson, I was honestly curious to see what the festival and the chalk drawings looked like in all that downpour.
When I got to Howard, the rain stopped. And I saw that organizers did take some measures to protect the art.
And that plastic covering seems to have protected some
But others didn't fare as well
This one was kind of 50/50
And the eye-popping 3-D pieces still looked impressive as paintings, but they didn't look like they were practically popping up off the sidewalk
Not that it stopped people from taking pictures
And I will always wonder (or, at least I will wonder until the next year's Chalk Howard Street) - did the colors really look better before the rain, or did Instagram filters make the art pop (or some combination of both)?
I wonder if the other chalk drawings - the non-professional stuff that went into smaller squares - got any kind of protection, but it definitely looked faded. And it offered an interesting range of skills.
I couldn't help but wonder if those were meant to be Stars of David or just plain stars. In Rogers Park, both are valid possibilities.
I know this one was by the folks at the Factory Theater on the south side of the street
As I headed toward the 'L' station, I saw an artist start to paint a portrait, using water to blend some of the colors together
And people did seem to enjoy the art, even somewhat faded and rained on
But I also couldn't help but notice some locals casting dirty looks at the fences that partially blocked off the block, while some white families with kids looked uneasily at the crowd hanging by the currency exchange. A bit later, I overheard a light-skinned black woman (calmly) telling off a white woman for complaining that a man smoking nearby was making her uncomfortable.
"This is how black men get shot in America!" she proclaimed.
Oh, and I couldn't help but notice that, out of all the eateries around that stretch of Howard Street, the one place visitors seemed to flock to was a new, hipstery-looking bar.
As it's often the case, some locals took it as an opportunity to promote their own thing. Apparently, there was an open mic taking place a few buildings north on Paulina Avenue at 7:00 PM. If I didn't have not one, but two articles due (because, remember, I planned my day before I knew I would see Music Man), I might have checked it out. But I don't feel too bad - after some online sleuthing, I discovered that it was a regular, weekly thing, so I might check it out next week.
All and all - I don't regret check out Chalk Howard Street. I just have to wait until this year to find out for sure just how 3-D those chalk paintings are really supposed to be.