CHALKING IT UP FOR THE ARTS

Willoughby Arts Collaborative hopes to improve lives by increasing arts and culture

Eight professional artists last weekend created chalk art for selfies on the Willoughby Public Library, Fiona’s, Sweet Beginnings and Ballantine as part of the annual Last Stop Willoughby.

Madyson Sinkovic won first place for the most creative and interactive chalk art, which was a giraffe in pastels with a leaf on the wall so it would look like the leaf was being held.

In addition, Lori Lewarski created a large eagle; Finley Fiediga-Ramsey created bubbles with a wand, so someone could make it look like they were blowing into the wand to make the bubbles come out; and Rose Mary Caruso created angel wings.

Also, Cristi Eppes created butterflies that had lines coming from them, so they looked like they were balloons; Lori Diemer created a Downtown Willoughby-related artwork; Teagan Farley created a window; and Edward Sajovic created a gem box to symbolize with words that read Willoughby is a gem.

“We were really proud of how successful it was. It was great seeing

people watching the artists chalk,” said Pat CarrollBonander, secretary for the Willoughby Arts Collaborative, which worked with the nonprofit Heart of Willoughby to put on the chalk fest.

“All the postings I’ve seen on Facebook and Instagram from people who visited — they were saying, ‘We love these. We wish they were permanent,’” Carroll-Bonander added. “It really got the community involved, which is one of the goals of WAC. It’s to enhance the city through arts.”

The WAC’s mission is to create and support a community rich in the arts. The vision is to improve the lives and livelihood of residents, visitors and businesses in and around Lake County through a connection to and a genuine investment in arts and culture.

“One of the reasons we wanted to do this (chalk fest) is we’re really trying to increase the exposure of the collaborative,” Carroll-Bonander said. “We’re in the middle of a membership drive, so people can go to willoughbyartscollaborative.org. They can become a member and that helps to spur future projects for us to be able to do.”

In addition to the chalk fest the eight artists participated in, children were able to pick a space on the sidewalk in downtown Willoughby to do chalk work of their own, she said. Children

also received first, second and third prizes.

As an artist herself, Carroll-Bonander

said she would have loved to have participated in the chalk

fest, but she decided to step back and represent the collaborative that day.

“Greg Patt, president of the Heart of Willoughby, approached me about adding something new to (Last Stop Willoughby),” she said. “We jumped on the opportunity. The Heart of Willoughby is a nonprofit and the collaborative just this year became a full, nonprofit organization. Our goal is to work with the groups and organizations so we can both benefit, and have people in the city appreciate art and become involved in art in so many forms.”

SUBMITTED PHOTOS Among the eight artists who participated in the chalk fest during Last Stop Willoughby was Madyson Sinkovic, who won first place for the most creative and interactive chalk art, which was a pastel giraffe.

Lori Lewarski, who created chalk art of a large eagle, also participated in the chalk fest during Last Stop Willoughby.

Madyson Sinkovic, who won first place for the most creative and interactive chalk art, which was a pastel giraffe, also participated.

Edward Sajovic, who created Willoughby is a gem with a gem box, participated.

SUBMITTED PHOTOS Among the eight artists who participated in the chalk fest during Last Stop Willoughby was Finley Fiediga-Ramsey, who created chalk art of bubbles with a wand.

Lori Lewarski was among the eight artists who participated in the chalk fest during Last Stop Willoughby. She created chalk art of a large eagle.

Among the eight artists who participated in the chalk fest during Last Stop Willoughby was Teagan Farley, who created chalk art of a window.