Jessi Queen, one of a dozen professional chalk artists who will be at the first Albany Museum of Art ChalkFest on Saturday, Sept 22, 2018 in downtown Albany, will give students at Robert H. Harvey Elementary School a preview demonstration of her work on Friday, Sept 14, 2018.
 
The young students at the school at 1305 E. 2nd Avenue in Albany also will be able to create their own chalk art.
 
“We are so pleased that Jessi is coming for this school visit ahead of AMA ChalkFest,” Albany Museum of Art Executive Director Paula Williams said. “We are happy to be able to bring this demonstration to Robert H. Harvey Elementary as we work to build a strong community through art. This will be a tremendous experience for the students.”
 
While AMA ChalkFest has a Home Grown theme, the work Queen will do at Robert H. Harvey Elementary School will be geared toward school themes.
 
“This demonstration and the hands-on aspects of it will be both fun and educational,” AMA Director of Education and Public Programming Chloe Hinton said. “The demonstration and participation will have imagery that fits in well with the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) curriculum.”
 
Dr. John I. Davis, principal at Robert H. Harvey Elementary School, said his students are getting a special opportunity with Queen’s visit to the campus.
 
“We’re excited about this opportunity and our partnership with the Albany Museum of Art,” Davis said. “Not just the STEAM partnership, but I’m excited for our students to be able to interact with the arts, and to interact with artists at this level.”
 
The STEAM partnership between the school and the AMA this school year already has been productive for Robert H. Harvey Elementary School students, he said.
 
“In just five short weeks, we’ve already done some amazing things together,” Davis said.
 
Queen, who began chalking in 2007 at the Savannah College of Art and Design’s Sidewalk Art Festival, later started the Queen Art and Design collaborative with her husband, Zachary Herndon, and other chalk artists. An Atlanta-based UX (user experience) designer with Sapient Razorfish, she participates in chalk art festivals in the United States and Europe. She specializes in creating large chalk murals, 3D chalk art, chalk workshops and interactive art. Queen started the Georgia Chalk Artists Guild in 2014 and partners with festivals to bring chalk art to various parts of the state. Her work can be found at her website, jessiqueen.com.
 
“She will be doing a 10-foot-by-10-foot chalk block, much like the one she will create downtown on Pine Avenue during AMA ChalkFest a week later,” Hinton said. “She also will have a roll of paper that the students will be able to use to create their own chalk art.”
 
Queen will teach students chalking skills and blending techniques during a guided chalk art demonstration. Students will use those skills to color in 4-foot-by-4-foot chalk images prepared by Queen on a roofing paper roll. There also will be 2-by-2-foot spaces where students can create and color their own images.
 
Queen and 11 other professional chalk artists, including her husband, Zachary Herndon, will participate on Saturday, Sept 22, 2018 in AMA ChalkFest: Home Grown. At the festival, which will run 10 am-5 pm, the professional chalk artists will create images 50 square feet and bigger on the street in the 100 block of Pine Avenue, which will be closed to traffic from The Albany Herald building at Washington Street to the Flint RiverQuarium at Front Street.
 
AMA ChalkFest also will feature craft beer tastings, live music, and food trucks and other vendors. The festival will include community involvement with individuals and groups from schools and organizations creating smaller blocks of chalk art on the street.
 
Information on AMA ChalkFest can be found online at AMAChalkFest.com. Tickets to the festival can be purchased on the website.
 
AMA ChalkFest tickets for general admission (no beer tastings) are $5 in advance and $10 at the gate. General admission with five craft beer tastings (21 and older only) and a souvenir glass are $20 in advance and $25 at the gate. VIP Experience tickets (21 and older only) are $65 in advance and $75 at the gate. VIP admission includes access to the Pretoria Fields VIP Lounge, with air conditioning, food prepared by Georgia Grown Chef Todd White and brewery tours; unlimited craft beer tastings; a special souvenir tasting glass; a tote bag, and VIP parking.
 
The Albany Museum of Art, located in Albany, Georgia, adjacent to Albany State University West Campus just off Gillionville Road is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.  The Albany Museum of Art is open 10 am through 5 pm Tuesday through Friday and noon until 5 pm on Saturday.  Admission is free.