BELFAST — Parts of Belfast’s Harborwalk got a colorful makeover as artists young and old descended to create chalky masterpieces on the sidewalks that run through Heritage Park. 

The event is organized by Bridget Matros, who is the Youth and Families Outreach Coordinator for Waterfall Arts and runs the Bridge After School Art Club, which involves area students.

The Chalk Walk is one of Waterfall Arts’ All Ages Art Happenings, while other AAAH events include The Glow Show, which features two floors of illuminated artwork, and the Cardboard Boat Race, which is typically held in late August. This year’s cardboard boat race, like many other festivals and events that take place over the summer, was canceled due to Covid-19 restrictions and safety concerns. 

Matros said that was one thing that especially excited her for this year’s chalk walk, an event that is held outside, with plenty of space to be had for all in attendance. 

“Our sense is that people are really craving a safe event, and there’s not much out there,” Matros said. 

When it came time for this year’s event - the fourth annual, the call to artists and students was put out again, with more people showing up this year than in any year prior, according to Matros. 

“We had 17 adults sign up and 11 kids under [age] 12,”

Matros said of those who signed up for the event, though chalk was available throughout the day for any wannabe walk-up Picassos. 

Given that 2020 is an election year and the current climate of unrest in much of the country, Matros said she sent an email to artists saying that though while the goal is not to censor anyone, the event is family-friendly and she hoped the artwork would also be family-friendly. 

Matros said she was unsurprised to see some of the more poignant creations at this year’s event. 

“I expected RBG [Ruth Bader Ginsburg],” Matros said of the numerous portraits the late supreme court justice inspired. 

Those who visited the colorful sidewalks were greeted by artwork that is appropriate for all ages, including many whimsical illustrations, nature scenes, and multiple striking portraits, including one of the late Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old woman who was fatally shot by Louisville, Tennessee police serving a search warrant. 

Elsewhere on the Chalk Walk were reminders to visitors and artists alike to vote this November 3, including one artist who used American artist Robert Indiana’s sculpture Love as inspiration. In the chalk artist’s version, it is a V and an O that hover over a T and E, brightly reminding those who pass of their upcoming civic duty.

With the art featured in this year’s Chalk Walk, it is perhaps unsurprising that the artists are as varied as their creations. Matros said this year they had people from farther away participate in the event than they have in years past, including artists from Vermont, Massachusetts, and Mount Desert Island. 

The art can be seen at Heritage Park until it is washed away by rain or walked away by the many feet who travel Belfast’s Harborwalk each day. 

“Waterfall Arts is a nonprofit contemporary arts center in Belfast and Montville. Creating community in harmony with nature through the transformative power of the arts,” according to the organization’s website. 

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com