The popular Chalk Howard Street festival returns for its third year on July 23, repeating on every other Friday through October 29 from 11 a.m.-noon. Virtual again this year, Chalk Howard Street will be streamed via Howard Street’s Instagram page (@HowardStreetChicago), featuring acclaimed Chicago 3D chalk artist Nate Baranowski who will create drawings of table-top 3D chalk art of meals or products from Howard Street businesses. Chalk Howard Street is hosted by the nonprofit Rogers Park Business Alliance and Howard Street Special Service Area #19.
Every other week, one local business on Howard Street—eight in total throughout the 2021 festival season—will be featured in the festival’s drawing sessions. The Instagram streaming offers 3D chalk art lessons by Baranowski as well as interviews with the business owners, and explores the vibrant Howard Street community in Rogers Park. For more information on the festival, visit www.howardstreetchicago.com.
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 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.
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.
Rogers Park Business Alliance (RPBA) is a nonprofit organization that has served Chicago’s diverse Rogers Park neighborhood for more than 25 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.