The Daily Beacon 040819

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Volume 137, Issue 24 Monday, April 8, 2019 utdailybeacon.com @utkdailybeacon

CAMPUS The 87th annual All-Sing competition, featuring eight fraternity-sorority pairs, took place in the Student Union over the weekend.

PAGE 4 After assistant professor Arthur Leal’s recent passing, students and faculty have shared in an outpouring of appreciation and love.

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The 11th annual Dogwood Arts Chalk Walk turned the streets of downtown Knoxville into an art studio on Saturday, April 6, 2019. Roddrick Tooles / The Daily Beacon

‘Chalk Walk’ turns downtown Knoxville into creative canvas RACHEL WARD Contributor

CITY “Shazam,” Warner Bros’ latest superhero flick, has arrived in theaters. Is the movie actually powerful or does it fall flat?

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SPORTS After leading the Vols to a strong season, Rick Banes was named the Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year.

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The 11th annual Dogwood Arts Chalk Walk turned the streets of downtown Knoxville into an art studio. Knoxville’s Market Square and Krutch Park brought together a community of artists on Saturday to showcase their talents, and their work mesmerized locals and visitors alike. Thousands of people filled every corner of the square. Kathy Slocum, co-founder of the event alongside her husband, reflected back on the beginnings of Dogwood Arts Chalk Walk and on how much the event has grown over its 11 years of existence. “The first year we did it, we had so few people here participating that we did it under the awning of a restaurant that is now where Tupelo Honey is,” Slocum said. “We had about 15 people and gave out our few awards. In 11 years, it’s really grown.” As Slocum continued to reflect on Chalk Walk’s beginnings, she thought back on what caused the event to grow as much as it did. “It took a few years as word of mouth spread,” Slocum said. “It’s free to the public

and so it took about five years for the public to realize ‘Hey, I heard about this event and I want to go down there.’ Dogwood also promotes it as a Dogwood event, and it has turned into one of Dogwood’s most popular events because so many people can participate.” Slocum also expressed her thanks to event partner Jim Dodson, a middle school art teacher familiar with chalk, and described the duo as “a perfect team.” For the artists, applications went out back in August and closed in December. With a $10 application fee, Slocum said that the list of artists was full right after Christmas -- with a long waitlist. Lauryn Darby, a participant of the Chalk Walk for the entirety of its 11 years, went to Market Square again this year to showcase her work. “I started (participating in the event) when I was in high school,” Darby said. “I did Chalk Walk when I went to UT, graduated a few years ago, and still continue to do it.” Chalk art wasn’t always a familiar concept for Darby; she transitioned into chalk art after always being a painter. “I had always painted and then my teacher mentioned doing the Chalk Walk,” Darby said. “I showed up and they hand you a little chalk pallet. The first year I got second place, the year

after that I got second, and then eight years in a row, I got first. When you work on a large scale, this is a lot like painting.” Darby also mentioned the appreciation she had for the event as it allows art to get out there so people can see it and have access to it. The communication between artists and visitors is another aspect Darby is grateful for. Vicki Baumgartner, manager of the outdoor components of Dogwood Arts, has been a part of the Chalk Walk for three of its 11 years. “I love the enthusiasm of the crowd. I love the engagement of the young artists. We have professional artists and we have a lot of kids that work, and I think the work they do is absolutely amazing,” Baumgartner said. “I love just seeing it come to life. It’s a lot of fun. 20,000-plus people come out on a Saturday to experience the beauty.” As the 11th annual Dogwood Arts Chalk Walk comes to a close, conversation about the event is predicted to continue. “I find people talk about this event all year round,” Slocum said. “When we were marking the squares yesterday, in years past, people would ask us what we were doing. This year, people see us and say, ‘Yay, Chalk Walk is coming tomorrow!’ They know exactly what we’re doing.”


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