Chalk the Block recently celebrated its fifteenth anniversary on October 7-9, 2022, in Downtown El Paso.

Chalk the Block took place at the San Jacinto Plaza from that Friday to Sunday, where art could be viewed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

It was founded in 2008 as a one-day art competition, but Chalk the Block has evolved to be a three-day public art festival with over 45,000 visitors annually.

The theme of this year’s El Paso art celebration is “15 years in the 915.”

Cultural Affairs and Recreation Managing Director Ben Fyffe said, “When we started, there were 12 artists and 5,000 people attending.

We have steadily grown to include more than 200 artists, vendors, musicians, and installations from around the world.”

According to KVIA ABC-7 News, this event featured and celebrated local artistic talents such as chalk artists, musicians, muralists, and arts and crafts vendors. 

Local and international artists came together to showcase their art, and organizers estimated about 200 artists would attend. 

Fyffe said, “Over the years, we have been thrilled to grow the event and showcase not only local artists but bring artists from throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas to close to 50,000 El Pasoans and visitors annually.”

Loretto senior, Elisa Camacho created her own local business called DeColores Designs, which she sold at this year’s Chalk the Block.

Camacho said, “I create all sorts of colorful, quirky polymer clay jewelry and the business really launched at the height of the pandemic in 2020.

  It went from me picking up my old beloved hobby of crafting with clay to now having a booth at Chalk the Block two years later.

Chalk the Block was a great experience, despite an unfortunate set of weather circumstances.

It was fun to see all the art installations around us on the floor and the different mediums that artists use.”

Camacho continues to sell her clay designs at local farmer’s markets while advertising the items on Instagram, where she’s growing a large following. 

Loretto senior, Sofia Ruiz del Hoyo showcased her original art piece at in the chalk sidewalk competition.

Ruiz del Hoyo said, “Artists selected were to draw with chalk the picture that they chose to submit when they first applied.

I was able to participate as a student artist, but there were also emerging artists, who were over 18, and the showcase artists were professional artists.”

Ruiz del Hoyo applied in September with an original art piece to replicate on the day of Chalk the Block and was chosen out of 150 applicants.

Only 53 artists were accepted among the application pool to participate in the art extravaganza, including Ruiz del Hoyo.

The artists were given seven hours to draw the picture they submitted with chalk and work within the time limit.

Artists were judged based on three categories: Student, Emerging, and Showcase. 

There was a competition for best student artists, best showcase artists, best-emerging artists, and best overall out of all three categories.

El Pasoans were able to enjoy this fun-filled family event with high hopes of attending or participating in next year’s Chalk the Block.