Chalk art creates treasure hunt

November 2020 - Keeping a sense of community alive in a neighborhood during the pandemic created a challenge for those in the city’s Sustainable Neighborhoods Program, which thrives because of its ability to achieve a shared spirit of cooperation and collaboration. But it was a challenge that the Sustainable Applewood Neighborhood met with vibrancy. 

Inspired by a new resident’s suggestion of a chalk art event that he learned about from his former East Coast neighborhood, the steering committee for Sustainable Applewood – meeting on Zoom, of course – developed an event to get people out of their houses while remaining safely distanced. The neighborhood’s all-ages chalk art event encouraged residents to decorate their sidewalks and driveways, then used an online map to show neighbors where to walk to enjoy the art. Calling on the virtual nature of life these days, Sustainable Applewood also displayed the art on its Facebook page.

The Chalk Art Extravaganza ran Oct. 18-25 with more than 20 participants, and those were just the ones who chose to pin their locations on the map. The results were stunning and engendered a bond among the residents.

View the artwork:

• See the gallery, and click on the first photo to scroll through the slideshow.

Read residents' reviews:

“We really like the community spirit and can’t wait to participate in other events.”

“We really enjoyed walking to find all the artwork. It felt like a treasure hunt. We loved seeing the variety of designs.”

“It was an exciting challenge to create a family design, and it was a lovely way to spend outside time.”

"It was a great way to feel connected to neighbors even though we couldn’t be together.”

“I was really impressed with the variety of chalk art on display. From simple to complex, from Halloween to gardening and patriotic themes. There was something for everybody.”

“We had a great ‘chalk walk.’ We tried to see every house on the map and a few others along the way. I took lots of photos.”

“What fun, we should make this an annual event!”