Image above: chalk art with a 3-D twist, courtesy of Jessi Queen

By Mark Woolsey

Jessi Queen will spend hours upon hours this weekend creating an elaborate piece of artwork celebrating one of the decade’s biggest pop stars.

Then by Monday, cars will drive over it. Pedestrians will scuff it. Any rain that falls will quickly wash it away.

But she doesn’t mind. Really.

Queen is one of about 100 artists who will descend on Marietta Square this weekend for Chalktoberfest, an annual festival drawing “chalkers” from all over the U-S and other countries. They’ll proceed to create a temporary form of sometimes eye-popping artwork on streets and sidewalks.

 As its name indicates, the street art will be accompanied by a craft beer and wine festival that promises more than 120 kinds of craft beer and 25 wine varieties. Chalktoberfest is free; the beer festival is ticketed. Combined, they’re expecting to draw 40 to 60,000 people.

Queen first got hooked on chalk and sidewalks around 2007 at a SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) sidewalk arts festival in her hometown. Now a DeKalb County resident, her passion for the art form has only grown. One sign of that is her co-founding (with her husband) of the Georgia Chalk Artists Guild in 2014. It aims to spread chalk throughout the state and also provides workshops and support.

Why does chalk art speak to her?

“I think it’s a little bit like the time factor and the ephemeral nature of it, “ she says. “I have a drawing I need to get done in a certain period of time, and I want to share it with people.”

It bothers me if it rains and I don’t get to finish it, “ she says, “but if I get a chance to express myself and share my artwork with the world, I don’t mind if it goes away.”

She calls what she does “performative” and says quite a lot of people will stop their strolling through the festival to watch her and fellow chalkers bring a piece to life.

Marietta Cobb Museum of Art Executive Director Sally Macaulay, who keeps pics of her favorites in her office, says the weekend is a major fundraiser for MCMA.

As for the drawers, “They don’t mind that it doesn’t last. The artists like it that way because they don’t have to worry about a canvas. They don’t have to worry about selling. They can just come and create. “

Queen plans a portrait of Taylor Swift, noting that the pop superstar just dropped her latest album on Oct.3 and that her rendering should capture attention.

Other sidewalk creations may present anything from flight-of-fancy fantasy scenes to abstract pieces, superheroes that seem ready to leap up from the street and stylized portraits surrounded by feathers and flowers.

Macaulay says that especially mind-blowing is artwork with a three-dimensional twist.

“Last year we had a huge (University of) Georgia football helmet, “ she recalls. “You could sit on the top of the helmet and look like you’re 10 feet off the ground, and you’re flat on the ground.”

She says some of the artists are internationally known, such as Cuong Nguyen, a California chalker who’s been flown around the world to create his well-regarded pieces.

The weekend will also include live music all day long, chalk competitions involving both kids and adults, a children’s area with face painting and the like, arts and crafts, food, and more.

Queen says stanchions are put up to allow attendees to view completed works during the weekend, but on Monday, the streets surrounding Marietta Square will reopen, and the meticulous artwork will become fair game for cars and pedestrians.

Queen will be in the thick of the weekend it with her passion much in evidence. “Our mission is to help people understand that chalk art is more than child’s play, and that it can be a true art form.”

Chalktoberfest: Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.to 5 p.m.

Beerfest: Saturday 12 noon to 5 p.m.

E. Park Square, Marietta.