(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The Inaugural Princeton Makes Chalk Festival will take place on Saturday, May 14 from 12:00pm to 4:00pm outside the Princeton Makes store at the Princeton Shopping Center.  The Chalk Festival will feature local Middle and High School students making large chalk drawings in the courtyard.  These drawings will be either reproductions or original art of the students.  There will also be a chalk area specifically for younger children who want to create their own works.

The Chalk Festival continues a twenty-five year tradition of public chalk drawings which had been done by local students at Communiversity.  The founders of the event, Lisa and Jim Levine, had been looking for another venue for the event, and the Princeton Shopping Center made space available for it to continue the tradition.  Mr. Levine noted that “The chalk drawings at Communiversity were a fun way for local students to show their artistic skills in a public forum and allow people to see art being made right in front of them.  Unfortunately we have not been able to run the event for the past two years, but we’re thrilled to be able to recreate it at the Princeton Shopping Center on May 14.”

Princeton Makes is a cooperative comprised of 32 local artists who work across a range of artistic genres, including painting, drawing, stained glass, sculpture, textiles, and jewelry. Customers are able to support local artists by shopping for a wide variety of art, including large paintings, prints, custom-made greeting cards, stained glass lamps and window hangings, jewelry in a variety of designs and patterns, and more.

Whenever the store is open, at least one artist is working in a studio and customers can interact directly with artists to learn about their process and technique. In fact, the entire staff is comprised of artists who delight in showing customers our full array of artistic work. The art made and sold at Princeton Makes covers a broad range of art genres including: painting, drawing, stained glass, sculpture, textiles, and jewelry. Customers can support local artists by shopping for a wide variety of art, including large paintings, prints, custom-made greeting cards, stained glass lamps and window hangings, jewelry, hats, scarves and more. 

Princeton Makes is a great place to discover new artists, find that perfect gift, and add to your art collection, all while supporting the local arts community.