Downtown Cruces ready for Avenue Art

Las Cruces Bulletin

Las Cruces artist Bob Diven gave a how-to demonstration on Saturday morning, April 23 for the artists competing in the fifth annual Avenue Art, which will be held beginning at 7 a.m. on Saturday, April 30 Downtown on Main Street.

Diven said 16 teams of artists have signed up to compete this year in three categories: young artists (elementary and middle school-age students), high school and college students and professionals, for ages 24 and above. Cash prizes will be awarded to winners in each category, and to an audience favorite.

Positive Solar Energy is sponsoring the artwork Diven will do for the event. He created Avenue Art and serves as its artistic director, but he won’t be competing.

Diven said Friends of the Organ Mountain-Desert Peaks National Monument (FOMDPNM) is sponsoring artist Meg Freyermuth in the competition. She is FOMDPNM’s first ever artist in residence. Other artists will also have sponsors at the event.

Diven came up with the idea for Avenue Art after winning the grand prize (for his painting “Rex Awakes”) in the El Paso Chalk the Block Downtown Art Festival in 2011. He also won best of show and best original painting for a cowgirl likeness he created in Denver’s first ever Chalk Art Festival in 2003.

Diven said artists will begin signing in at 6 a.m. and will start their street paintings at 7 a.m. The work will continue until 2 p.m., with an awards ceremony beginning at 2:15 p.m.

He suggested visitors come early to watch the artists start their paintings, then wander the Farmers Market just north of the festival, have breakfast or lunch and come back several times to watch the paintings progress.

Diven said artists can use chalk, pastels and tempura paint (a water-based paint that is often used to create a base coat) for their paintings, but no permanent materials are allowed.

Each participating artist or team of artists has a five-foot by five-foot or four-foot by six-foot (either rectangular or horizontal) section of asphalt to work with. Artists must also deal with whatever weather conditions are present on the day of the festival.

Diven said there will be a special non-competition area for little kids to draw in during the festival. These “aspiring artists” see others creating art on the sidewalk, and, with special chalk supplied by Diven, they can join in.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/AvenueArtNewMexico, http:// downtownlascruces.org/home/ avenue-art/ and downtownlascruces. org.