Chalk Howard Street festival – The Third Year

Chalk Howard Street 2019, photo by Chris Guillen
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Chicago’s only chalk art festival Chalk Howard Street adds in-person drawing and announces final schedule

August 13 – October 16, 2021

Virtual Rogers Park festival culminates in live 3D art drawing, features acclaimed Chicago 3D chalk artist Nate Baranowski and 8 local businesses

The popular Chalk Howard Street festival returns to Rogers Park for its third year in a virtual format on August 13, repeating on every Friday through October 1 at 11 a.m., and culminating in an in-person live chalk art drawing session on Saturday, October 16 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Featuring acclaimed Chicago 3D chalk artist Nate Baranowski, the festival will demonstrate the creation of 3D chalk art featuring meals or products from Howard Street and Jarvis Square businesses for the virtual sessions, which will be released every Friday via Howard Street’s Instagram page (@HowardStreetChicago). The in-person live chalk art session will be held at Howard and Paulina Streets on Saturday, October 16, with a music performance by Four Star Brass Band.

Four Star Brass Band at Chalk Howard Street 2019,… Chris Guillen

The finished 3D art will be installed at each corresponding featured business on Friday, August 20, with a festival map available at howardstreetchicago.com, Howard Street Facebook and Instagram (@HowardStreetChicago), and RPBA.org for a self-guided outdoor 3D art experience Walk Chalk Howard Street, where visitors can view the art in person and explore local businesses.

Every week, one local business will be featured in the festival’s drawing sessions—eight in total throughout the 2021 festival season, with six on Howard Street and two from Jarvis Square. The Instagram releases offer 3D chalk art lessons by Baranowski as well as interviews with the business owners, and explore the vibrant Howard Street community in Rogers Park. Chalk Howard Street is hosted by the nonprofit Rogers Park Business Alliance and Howard Street Special Service Area #19. 

ate Baranowski drawing of item from Salerno’s On Howard, courtesy of Rogers Park Business Alliance

The 2021 Chalk Howard Street schedule and featured businesses are:

●        August 13 – Charmers Café & Horse Play

●        August 20 – Legacy Barber College

●        August 27 – Howard Street Brewing

●        September 3 – The Factory Theater

●        September 10 – I’m Soul Hungry

●        September 17 – Good to Go

●        September 24 – The Recyclery

●        October 1 – Anto Pizza & Pasta Chicago

●        October 16 – Live chalk art drawing at Howard and Paulina Streets  *In-person

Nate Baranowski is a Chicago-based street painter, muralist, and fine artist. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where his passion for street painting began. Baranowski is a versatile artist experienced with a range of mediums, including large chalk murals, indoor and outdoor painted murals, acrylic on canvas, and various forms of digital painting and concept art. He specializes in creating 3D artwork that looks like it pops right out of the ground or wall.  From temporary installations to permanent painted murals, Baranowski can add a splash of creativity to any environment.

Chalk Howard Street 2019, photo by Chris Guillen.jpg

Chalk Howard Street first launched in 2019 as a free outdoor art festival, featuring renowned and emerging 3D street artists who created striking and immersive street art experiences for art lovers and families, while providing live music, entertainment, food and drinks. Howard Street in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood is also home to an international array of cuisine options, creative art shops, and multiple theaters, with easy access to the beach and Lake Michigan. In 2021 Chalk Howard Street will expand to include businesses in Jarvis Square. Jarvis Square is just a 5 minute walk from Howard Street and is a business district that has a long history as a diverse and inclusive community gathering place for Rogers Park and is predominantly anchored by independent women- and minority-owned businesses For more information on the festival, visit www.howardstreetchicago.com.

Chalk Howard Street 2019, photo courtesy of Rogers Park Business Alliance

Howard Street Chicago, located on the edge of Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood and suburban Evanston, offers an unexpected, eclectic city experience. Howard Street is alive with an engaging personality represented by its vital diversity, welcoming nature and entrepreneurial spirit. Whether you are a college student, in town for a ballgame or experiencing Chicago for the very first time, Howard Street has something for everyone. It is a place where you can be you. Howard Street Special Service Area #19 is a business improvement district managed through Rogers Park Business Alliance and by a team of Commissioners representing local businesses. 

Chalk Howard Street 2019, photo by Chris Guillen

Rogers Park Business Alliance (RPBA) is a nonprofit organization that has served Chicago’s diverse Rogers Park neighborhood for 28 years. RPBA works to cultivate and sustain a thriving economic environment in Rogers Park, serving businesses and residents with a variety of public events and business initiatives. RPBA programs include the GROW/PROGRESANDO entrepreneurial training program, the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Rogers Park Business Alliance, annual Best of Rogers Park awards, Chalk Howard Street and Taste of Clark Street festivals, and the Glenwood Sunday Market farmers market. For more information, visit RPBA.org.

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