Chalk dust and color took over Second Street in Belmont Shore on Saturday as artists hunched over sidewalk canvases, racing to finish portraits, animals and pop-culture tributes before the afternoon judging deadline. The annual Belmont Shore Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest drew work ranging from a Dolly Parton portrait to a tribute to jazz trumpeter Chuck Mangione, with cash prizes on the line and crowds of spectators strolling past artists camped out in front of local businesses.
A Tradition Rooted in Second Street
The contest, which has taken place annually since 2004 with the exception of a pandemic-era cancellation in 2020, is hosted by Justin Rudd and his nonprofit Community Action Team, according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram. The Belmont Shore Business Association also supported Saturday's event, which unfolded along the Second Street business corridor, mainly in the blocks between Laverne and Granada avenues, per Belmont Shore's event listing. Event organizers described this year's contest as the 21st annual, though other accounts of the event's history point to earlier origins — one report notes Rudd started the chalk contest in 2003 to help promote his Haute Dog Howl'oween Parade.
Accounts of how many artists showed up Saturday varied. The Press-Telegram reported more than 40 people took part, while Belmont Shore's own event materials said organizers expected more than 50 seasoned and emerging visual artists along with participants from local high schools and universities. The contest has typically drawn people from across Southern California and elsewhere in the country.
Portraits, Pop Culture and a First-Timer's Debut
Among the artists working along Second Street was Penny Richards of Redondo Beach, who competed alongside Michelle Russell-Jonassen of Lancaster, who worked on a Halloween-themed drawing for the contest. Long Beach artist Nick Lamb created a piece depicting trumpet player Chuck Mangione, naming his work “Feels So Good.” Long Beach resident Joy Chen was competing in her first Belmont Shore chalk contest, joining participants that included students from local high schools and universities as well as seasoned and emerging artists.
In 2019, San Diego artist Lori Escalera drew a rendition of a portrait by Belgian painter Pierre Olivier Joseph Coomans that earned her Best in Show for the first time. She took home the $350 Best in Show prize, according to the Beachcomber, which reported that the 2019 contest drew more than 90 artists overall.
From Cash Prizes to a Shift Away From the Sidewalk Itself
The Belmont Shore contest distributed at least $1,000 in cash prizes this year, continuing a structure similar to past contests. In 2022, the event's prize list included $250 for first place, $150 for second and up to eight $50 honorable-mention awards, with Shuji Nishimura winning the $350 Best in Show prize that year for a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II. A separate result listed Nishimura as a second-place winner.
One notable change over the years has been where artists actually put their chalk. Rather than drawing directly on the pavement, participants now work on premium artist's paper affixed to the sidewalk — a shift made because of concerns about chalk washing into storm drains. The adjustment has had an upside for the artists themselves: once judging wraps up, they can sell their finished pieces or take them home to hang, rather than watching the art wash away with the next rain.
Judging Wraps Up the Day's Festivities
Saturday's final judging and awards ceremony was scheduled for 4:10 p.m. in front of Chase Bank, capping an afternoon that saw spectators and visitors wander the length of Second Street watching the sidewalk gallery take shape in real time. With portraits, animals and pop-culture characters covering the pavement from Laverne to Granada avenues, the contest once again turned a stretch of Belmont Shore into a temporary open-air art show before the paper canvases came up for the day.
