Painting the town

Madonnari is the name of an Italian tradition of street painting dating back 600 years. Itinerant artists reproduced religious masterpieces in chalk, most of which in the beginning were portraits of the Madonna.

Modern-day madonnari working with chalk as a medium and pavement as a canvass create art at festivals across the U.S. Saturday's Cape Chalk Walk and Street Painting Festival is in the tradition.

The second annual festival will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. in Old Town Cape. The location is the pavement in front of the Missouri Wall of Fame.

The festival is one of a number of arts-related events occurring this weekend. They include:

The opening of a new art gallery in Jackson, Mo., Gallery 127. The gallery will display the work of 24 local artists in a variety of media. The gallery, owned by artist Doug Baltz, will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. It is located at 127 W. Main Street in Jackson.

In Marble Hill, Mo., the Bollinger County Museum of Natural History and the Cat Ranch Art Guild will co-host an exhibit of paintings and drawings by four Bollinger County artists: Vel Marshall, Claude Vance, and the late Tom Runnels and Jake Wells. The museum, the Art and Science Building of the former Will Mayfield College campus, will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The museum is located at the corner of Mayfield drive and Graham streets in Marble Hill. It is open for this weekend's Mississippi Valley Scenic Spring Drive.

Some members of the University Players will present "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday on the terraces at Academic Hall. The performances are free. Audience members are encouraged to bring a blanket and refreshments.

Thirteen graduating Southeast seniors will host art openings today for their Senior Exhibitions. The first reception from 4 to 6 p.m. at the University Museum is for "Senior X: Censored," in which students will exhibit one or two key pieces related to their individual majors. The second reception from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Schock's Community Arts Center in Scott City, Mo., is for "Senior X: Uncensored, which will include more personal work. Both exhibits continue through May 10.

Last fall, Cape Girardeau's Craig Thomas was the featured artist at the La Strada Del Arte, a street-art festival in Kansas City in which 400 people participated. He is organizing the Cape Chalk Walk and will create his own drawing before the festival starts.

Drawing with chalk on pavement is more akin to performance art than to the kind of art created in studios, Thomas says. "If you approach it that way, the audience participation to see it is part of the overall aspect."

One benefit of street art is that it provides artists with an unusual opportunity. "They're in an environment with other two-dimensional artists where they can communicate. They normally don't get a chance to do that," Thomas says.

He advises artists to bring knee pads or a pillow, sun block and a hat and a piece of plastic in case of rain. In the event of a day-long downpour, the Chalk Walk will be postponed until Sunday.

Registration for the event is $7 in advance or $10 on the day of the festival. Artists will receive one box of pastels with each entry or can bring sidewalk chalk of their own. Participants also can enter as teams. Phone Thomas at 334-8120 or send e-mail to capechalkwalk@hotmail.com to register.

The Chalk Walk is sponsored by the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri and the Downtown Merchants Association. The top prizes are $100 in cash for the individual winner and $100 in cash for the best team. A section also will be available where children can participate for $1.

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182