This year’s theme, Interactive Murals, featured eight student participants.
Michael Moffitt took first place in the high school division with his interactive mural of the Wizard of Oz’s Yellow Brick Road. Photo provided.
(Ripley County, Ind.) - The Ripley County Community Foundation, Inc. (RCCF), through its Ripley Youth Outreach Program, recently hosted the 5th annual Chalktoberfest during Osgood’s Bricktoberfest, bringing art and community together. Chalktoberfest is a chalk art competition where local middle and high school students design murals based on a provided theme, offering young artists a unique opportunity to showcase their talents in a public setting.
Promoting the arts among young people fosters creativity and critical thinking skills, provides a platform for self-expression and exploration, helps young people discover their passions and build confidence, and contributes to a stronger sense of community by bringing people together through shared experiences.
This year’s theme, Interactive Murals, featured eight student participants, three high school and five middle school students, who transformed the street into captivating pieces of chalk art. The young artists were joined by four professional artists who provided guidance throughout the competition. Notably, two of these professionals, Megan Bauer and Rory Heffelmire, were past Chalktoberfest participants, returning as graduates to inspire the next generation. Local teachers, Heather Reichert and Dustin Smith, brought their expertise to the event as professional artists as well.
A panel of seven judges, consisting of local artists, Ripley Youth Outreach members, and other community leaders, had the difficult task of selecting Chalktoberfest winners. Ripley Youth Outreach, RCCF’s youth-led philanthropic group, spearheaded the event and presented prizes to the top three winners in both the middle and high school divisions.
In the high school division, the winners were:
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1st Place: Michael Moffitt, with an interactive mural of the Wizard of Oz’s Yellow Brick Road
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2nd Place: Carmen Camarena, for her bubble-inspired mural
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3rd Place: Bella Weberding, for her design inspired by The Scream
In the middle school division, the winners were:
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1st Place: Allie Peetz, for an interactive mural of a bridge over water
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2nd Place: Allie Cox, for her alligator themed interactive mural
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3rd Place: Billy Cox, for his mural allowing you to arm wrestle with Bluto
“We are thrilled to see how Chalktoberfest continues to grow each year.” shared Amy Streator, Executive Director of the Ripley County Community Foundation. “Connecting the event to Bricktoberfest allowed for greater community involvement, and the interactive mural theme added an extra element of fun, inviting festival-goers to take part in the art.”
Chalktoberfest was brought to Ripley County by Ripley Youth Outreach to provide young artists with a platform to showcase their artistic talents. Expanding arts and culture locally to create a more vibrant, sustainable future is one of the guiding service areas of the Ripley County Community Foundation.
Chalktoberfest is just one more way the Ripley County Community Foundation is Connecting People Who Care with Causes that Matter. The chalk contest will return in the fall of 2025!
To learn how you can support Arts & Culture opportunities in your communities, contact the Ripley County Community Foundation, which is located at 13 E. George Street, Suite B, Batesville, IN, can be reached by phone at (812) 933-1098 or via email at office@rccfonline.org.
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