Credit: Courtesy of SCAD

The 42nd annual Savannah College of Art and Design Sidewalk Arts Festival took place on Saturday, April 22 at Forsyth Park. The lauded springtime event attracted tens of thousands of attendees to the iconic park, which was transformed into an open-air art gallery consisting of hundreds of vibrant chalk artworks. Nearly 1,000 SCAD students, alumni and local high school students participated this year, creating mesmerizing masterpieces on Forsyth’s concrete canvases.

Credit: Courtesy of SCAD

The participants competed for coveted cash prizes in several categories, and the winners were announced that afternoon. Best in Show went to SCAD alumnus Will Penny, who wowed judges and attendees with his detailed Gremlin.

Credit: Courtesy of SCAD

2019 graduate Lexi Manhieri won the SCAD Alumni Spirit award for her dynamic depiction of SCAD mascot Art the Bee riding atop a dolphin.

Credit: Courtesy of SCAD

Students Sofia Denise, Otavio Santos De Albuquerque, Jon Fackler, Arana Vazquez and Alex Volkov won the SCAD Student Spirit award, re-envisioning the classic Operation game with Art the Bee.

Credit: Courtesy of SCAD

The Student Individual award went to animation student Yilan Zhang, who recreated the famous ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ in chalk with stunning similarity.

Credit: Courtesy of SCAD

Students Katriella Britt, Charlotte O’dell and Julia Paiewonski collaborated on a colorful Andy Warhol concept featuring Art the Bee, winning them the Student Group award.

Credit: Courtesy of SCAD

Sequential art student Jonwei Huang took the Graduate Student award for his standout school of fish.

Credit: Courtesy of SCAD

And Kaitlin Westbrook won the Alumni award for her cat artwork featuring two dapper felines in ties, one with a top hat and one with a monocle. 

In addition to the artworks, the festivities included a musical performance by SCAD alumnus and American Idol winner Candice Glover and  the Bee Sharps. Several food vendors were present as well. 

The SCAD Sidewalk Arts Festival is a Savannah tradition enjoyed by college students and community members each year. If you missed it this time around, plan to be there next year and celebrate all of the imagination and creativity that the festival produces. 

This article appears in Apr 1-30, 2023.

Chantel Britton is a compelling storyteller with an ever-growing curiosity. She's built a rewarding writing career for herself in addition to serving five years as a Public Affairs Officer in the U.S....