By Sahara Lyon-Mundy
With March just behind us, COCA is reflecting on the busy month we had. We celebrated Youth Art Month, a nation-wide initiative that Tallahassee celebrates in a variety of artful ways. Exhibitions opened, programs premiered, and campaigns launched all over the Capitol City. Florida’s 2025 Legislative Session opened March 4th, and COCA spent time meeting with legislators and advocating for arts & culture funding, two things we’ll continue to do. And at the intersection of arts education and arts advocacy lies COCA’s Chalk Walk. Chalk Walk is an exhibition of chalk art recreated by Leon County students on sidewalks outside the Florida State Capitol, and this year, we had one of the largest Chalk Walk turn outs this decade, both in participants and spectators.
Chalk Walk typically happens every year on Arts Advocacy Day, a day when artists, arts administrators, and arts advocates from all over the state come to the Capitol and advocate for arts funding in Florida. However, this year, Chalk Walk was hosted on the first day of the Legislative Session, catching lawmaker’s attention right away and inviting legislative families to participate. Eleven teachers from nine different local high schools and middle schools brought sixteen groups of students to recreate Florida-themed artwork in chalk around the sidewalks of the Capitol.
This year’s Chalk Walk was produced in collaboration with the Florida Cultural Alliance (FCA), an advocacy organization whose mission is to develop an informed and engaged group of advocates amongst artists, businesses, organizations, and policymakers. Jennifer Jones, President and CEO of FCA, worked with COCA to directly involve lawmakers in the event. This ensured lawmakers viewed the student-made artwork, witnessing first-hand the importance of arts education on developing student talent and the crucial impact arts funding has on Florida communities. Jones even created a free-draw area that engaged legislators and their families, letting them join in the fun! Jones stated, “Legislators, their staff and other visitors to the Capitol that day commented, stopped, and took pictures. Our lobbyists contacted me to tell me what a positive impression it made on people they spoke to in the halls.” Jones continued, “We couldn’t have hoped for better ambassadors to kick off the first day of the 2025 Legislative Session.”
Participating students in Chalk Walk create Florida-themed artworks, from recreation to original, and this year’s artists did not disappoint. They etched beachside vistas, iconic Florida animals, a variety of aviaries, flora & fauna, and more. Leon County students turned the Capitol’s North Plaza sidewalk into a beautiful display of artistic talent, and legislators complimented the work all day as they walked by, with most returning later in the day to see the finished work. Nadia Davis, one of art teacher Richard Curry’s students at Cobb Middle, stated, “I think that Chalk Walk is important because it allows students to get their art and talent out there.” She continued, commenting on the lawmakers who passed the students, “It gives people who walk by a good view.”
An informed public is an engaged public, so in Florida, arts education is deeply connected to arts advocacy. Programs like Chalk Walk connect students and lawmakers, engaging students in state decision-making processes that give students power over their futures. Advocating for increased arts funding through direct action, inviting lawmakers to see the amazing talent and abilities that need to be fostered in our youth makes for engaged students that are invested in their community. A Cobb Middle art student, Victor Villanueva Huewitt, stated, “I thought the experience was fabulous, it made people feel special and united as a group.” The arts bring people together, and events like Chalk Walk give students in our community a sense of ownership over an important public space, the State Capitol. The students know they, and their art, are welcome and belong there.
Chalk Walk 2025 was a massive success from setup the day before through the end of the week when the art was still visible for lawmakers and passersby to see. Chalk Walk takes a village of supporters to produce, so in addition to Jones’ and FCA’s help, COCA Public Art and Exhibitions Manager Sam Joslin, and COCA Arts Education Intern Abbey Fernandez de Castro were part of the Chalk Walk team from start to finish. Fernandez de Castro stated, “Chalk Walk 2025 was such a fun and exciting experience, not only for the participants but those of us who got to watch them. Seeing the students’ progress throughout the day was truly impressive and I love how much fun they had.” Being artsy and advocating for arts support is the Chalk Walk way. Become an arts advocate and stay informed on the latest arts advocacy news by visiting FCA’s website, as well as COCA’s website.
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