Instead of the shredded chicken you might find in a taco, a chicken shredding on a skateboard earned professional chalk artist Shannon Brooke the Best of Show prize on Saturday at the 8th annual Heart of Albany Festival at the Albany Museum of Art.

Brooke’s depiction of a Rhode Island Red riding a skateboard while sporting a blue helmet and scarf that matched perfectly the gorgeous sky visitors enjoyed Saturday was judged to be the one that best captured this year’s extreme sports theme. This was the Murfreesboro, Tenn., artist’s fourth appearance at the festival and her first Best of Show win.

“It was a marvelous day filled with art and music,” AMA Executive Director Andrew James Wulf, Ph.D., said. “Our sponsors enable us to present this annual celebration of art and community togetherness free of charge, and we thank them for their generous support. We thank the artists, performers, volunteer helpers, vendors, and everyone who came out. It’s always a special experience, and Saturday was no exception.”

The art and entertainment, however, were exceptional. Seven professional chalk artists created bigger-than-life chalk paintings on the pavement. Brooke competed with 2024 festival champion Lata Fields of LaGrange, 2023 champion Luqman Coffen of Stone Mountain, 2018 champion Heather Cap of Fayetteville, Fawne DeRosa of Thomson, Brittany Williams of Atlanta, and Sonia Summers of Knoxville, Tenn.

School groups created smaller images for bragging rights. Monroe High School’s team won in the high school division, with Radium Spring Middle School winning the middle school division, and Lamar Reese Elementary School taking honors in the elementary school category. Those attending also could take the festival home with them by posing on the 3D skateboard created by professional chalk artist and two-time festival Best of Show winner Jessi Queen. 

On the James M. Barnett, Jr. Foundation Stage, Athens band Pylon Reenactment Society performed for the first time in Albany. They were preceded on stage by singers/songwriters Hannah and Jansen Barnes. Festival-goers also got sneak peeks at scenes and songs from Ballet Theatre Albany’s upcoming The Nutcracker performances and Theatre Albany’s A Christmas Carol. DJ Jazzy Joe provided music between sets. 

The Hot Glass Academy of Americus, participating in The Heart of Albany Festival for the first time, was a popular spot throughout the day for onlookers to gather as they demonstrated hot glass work. Also demonstrating their talents at the event were Kern Cunningham (oil painting), Deerfield-Windsor School art teacher Joseph Bryant (painting), Elizabeth Fullerton (watercolors, acrylic painting, pastels and handmade decorations), high school student Remington Adams (jewelry making and a fundraiser for a local young boy facing health challenges), Christopher Jenkins (painting), and Nancy Jones and friends (Tai Chi demonstration.)

“It was a terrific mix of different art disciplines that captures the diversity of talent in Albany and Southwest Georgia,” Wulf said. “Inside, our galleries were open for visitors to view the African artwork in Echoes of the Past and the work of Athos Menaboni in A Legacy Built from Nature. The talents of our area’s students were also on display with the opening of the 2nd annual juried exhibition of works by Southwest Georgia students.” 

First- and second-place high school winners received cash awards in addition to recognition in four categories in the contest and exhibition.

For Abstract 2D Works, Destiny Carter, a freshman at Monroe High School, won first place for Static Color in mixed media. Juliet Cannon, of Deerfield-Windsor School, was second with the painting Clown. Jamyla Richardson, a Monroe freshman, won honorable mention for the mixed-media work Soft Energy.

For Technical 2D Works, Caleb Bradley, a Westover High School senior, won first place for the colored pencil Smoke Reflection. Westover senior Cameron Prime was second with Sugar High in pastels. Honorable mention went to Makayla Bailey, a Monroe High School senior, for the mixed-media Ashes of Oppression. 

In the Enhanced Photography and Digital Art category, Dougherty High School students claimed all top honors with their photographs. Destiny Melvin won first place for Chocolate Emporium. Daiveon Davis was second with Surfer Boy, and Kelsey Salter was awarded honorable mention for Poured to Perfection.

In 3D and Sculpture, Phoenix Adams, a homeschool sophomore, won first place for Escape. Jack Hopkins, also a homeschool sophomore, was second with Aldabra Tortoise Habitat. Honorable mention went to Marcey Davis for Celebration. 

On Saturday, festival-goers voted for the People’s Choice winner from the works on display in the student exhibition. Daroiyun Strawder, a Monroe High School senior who won the award at the inaugural exhibition in 2024, claimed People’s Choice for a second year with his colored-pencil drawing Bloom of the Mind. 

“We had more than 70 students enter the exhibition and contest, with submissions from as far away as Valdosta,” Director of Education and Public Programming Annie Van Oteghem said. “The amount of talent in our city and region is amazing! We hope everyone will come out to see this exhibition, which is open through Jan 3, and encourage these students to continue to create.” 

Partnerships with financial sponsors, in-kind donations, and volunteers are crucial to making the event a success each year. The 2025 sponsors were:

• Presenting Sponsor: The James M. Barnett, Jr. Foundation;

• AMAzing Activities games and play area: Vine Vision;

• School Chalk Blocks: Georgia’s Own Credit Union;

• Community Artists: WebstaurantStore;

• Professional Chalk Blocks: Albany Internal Medicine, Wawa, F&W Forestry, Love’s Travel Stops, Underwood Law, LLC, and U-Save-It Pharmacy;

• Volunteer: Adams Exterminators, Flint Community Bank, and Phoebe;

• Helper: Southern Pediatric Dentistry;

In-kind sponsors were Blick Art Supplies, Southwest Georgia Living Magazine, and Eddie’s Signs.

“We’d like to say a special thank you to the Exchange Club of Southwest Georgia for setting up the Vendor Village and food truck court,” Van Oteghem said. “Their logistics expertise was invaluable.” 

Wulf said that the support of community-minded businesses and organizations makes the festival possible each fall. 

“We could not do this without them,” Wulf said. “We at the museum, our city, and our region are fortunate that these companies and organizations care about the community and value this effort to bring people together to celebrate the many good things that are going on in our town and schools. They deserve our collective thanks and appreciation.”