“Paint the Town” most often means something akin to having a good time and taking advantage of what a town has to offer. The saying takes on both a literal and figurative meaning Sept. 19-20 when a collection of talented artists literally paints the town, or at least a good portion of the streets.
Bigfork is following a tradition that began during the Middle Ages in Italy. Following a boom period of cathedral construction, a number of fresco artists found themselves unemployed and literally in the streets. Fueled by creative spirit, some began plying their trade on the streets, drawing portraits of the Madonna and other religious figures to the delight of the townsfolk, who often rewarded their efforts with a coin or perhaps a chicken.
Today these modern Madonnari are found at street painting festivals coast to coast and around the globe, where street artists take their pastels to the pavement producing temporary pieces of art as beautiful as they are transient.
In Bigfork, the action happens over two days. Starting before dawn Saturday, festival staff prepares large, black squares on the pavement of Electric Avenue. Shortly after first light, the artists begin to lay out their pieces. By noon Sunday, most are complete.
During last year’s inaugural event, subjects ranged from landscapes to dinosaurs, horses to cats and dogs, children to the face of God.
“In our first year, we brought in a couple artists with established street-painting reputations, just to kind of jump start the festival,” says 2014 organizer David Vale. “And a couple remarkable works resulted.”
“But the surprise was the talent we found locally, with several local artists producing works that rivaled those of the professionals.”
The Bigfork festival has made a few improvements over the early Italian attempts. Artists find the macadam surface of Electric Avenue more conducive to detailed imagery than were the dirt and cobblestone streets of medieval Italy. And, where the early Madonnari may have been accompanied by the odd minstrel or two, the Bigfork festival has a full stage and sound system supporting several notable area bands most of Saturday and Sunday.
The festival will go on, rain or shine. “Rain is a challenge wherever you have an outdoor activity,” Vale acknowledged. “Last year the weather was beautiful both days. But rain is always a threat and you deal with rain by covering up and continuing on as soon as it’s over. In the end, the ephemeral nature of this medium is part of what makes it so engaging.”
The Chalk ’n Rock Festival is free to artists and to visitors, with streets open to the public from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. both days. For more information, visit www.ChalkNRock.org or call 837-5888.