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The seventh annual Oberlin Chalk Walk is just one day away! Come out on Saturday, June 23 from 10am until 4pm to experience this wonderful Oberlin summer tradition.

As usual, the AMAM will be sponsoring the work of several master artists, who will be creating their amazing designs throughout the day. This year’s master artists are Robin Van Lear, Dan Cherney, Hector Castellanos, and Wendy Mahon.

Robin Van Lear has an MFA in sculpture from the University of California at Santa Barbara. She is the Artistic Director of Community Arts at the Cleveland Museum of Art, where she created and directs community events such as Parade the Circle, the Chalk Festival, and the Winter Lights Lantern Festival. Robin is also a fine artist, educator, and performance artist with her own company, Art Acts. She has been a master artist at the Oberlin Chalk Walk since it began in 2006.

Dan Cherney is an illustrator and a bit of a modern-day renaissance man. He graduated from The Cleveland Institute of Art where he majored in illustration. He also obtained a teaching certificate from Cleveland State University and now uses those skills as a teacher of art in North Olmsted, Ohio. He began doing Maddonari-style outdoor chalk art about 10 years ago after being inspired by the now famous chalk artist Kurt Wenner. Dan has been a master artist at the Oberlin Chalk Walk since 2007.

Hector Castellanos began gathering images from the majestic volcanoes surrounding Ciudad de Guatemala in his youth. His early influences include his father, a well-known commercial painter in Guatemala for his advertising murals and giant political portraits during the 1950s through the 1970s. Castellanos’s mother who drew inspiration from the folk art of Guatemala as a dressmaker, including images of daily life, also had an impact on him. A resident of Cleveland, Castellanos has held numerous exhibitions and taught in programs around the city.

Wendy Mahon is a festival artist who has worked extensively on Cleveland Museum of Art projects, including the annual Parade the Circle Celebration and the Chalk Festival. She has presented numerous workshops to both adults and children at the Cleveland Museum of Art and Hiram College. Wendy received her B.A. in Scientific Illustration from the University of Florida, Gainesville.

Hector and Wendy have been master artists and collaborators at the Oberlin Chalk Walk since it began in 2006.

We hope to see you downtown tomorrow at the event!