About the 2025 Artists
(Artist lineup may change due to rescheduled availability and budget.)
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Shawn McCann As an artist, Shawn McCann is one who loves to explore the relationship of art, space, and interaction. Having graduated the Minneapolis College of Art and Design with a BFA, Shawn has grown into a multi-media, multi-disciplinary artist whose work explores color, texture, form, and content. This approach has led to the many areas in which Shawn’s work has encompassed including; street painting, murals, fine art, children’s books, installation art, temporary and permanent art and commercial illustration.
He has been featured at numerous street painting festivals throughout the us and overseas and has worked on projects such as Exhibition sized pieces and corporate clients. His work has won numerous awards, been a NEA grant recipient, and is held in private and public collections, and has also been featured twice at the LA Times Festival of Books as a featured illustrator. Shawn was one of the few American artists chosen to participate in the Dubai Canvas, one of the most prestigious street art festivals in the world, and currently organizes 6 street art festivals throughout the midwest.
Tetiana Talanova
Ukraine (International Artist)
Born in 1984 in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, this accomplished artist holds a Master's degree in restoration and art conservation from the National Academy of Fine Art and Architecture. With a background in fine art, game design, and icon painting, they've worked as a freelance artist since 2010 and collaborated with renowned 3D artist Alex Maksiov on major projects, including the largest 3D paintings in Ukraine and Turkey. Since 2019, they've participated in street art festivals worldwide, including Sarasota Chalk Festival, Chalktoberfest, and events in Germany, Poland, Norway, and Azerbaijan. Their work spans murals, 3D street art, and gallery installations across Europe and beyond.
Leanna Wurzer
Delano, MN
https://www.lkwurzerfineart.com/
Instagram @leannakart
Facebook @LeannaKArt
LeAnna Wurzer is a mom, a farmer, and a self-taught artist and freelance oil painter from Delano, MN. She provides a wide range of original oil paintings, genuine archival-quality prints, and many varieties of custom artwork to clients, as well as farm-fresh chicken eggs and a bale of hay or two.
She fully believes that within one's own gifts and skills, there is always room for improvement, no matter how talented they may be, and that challenging those skills are the key to betterment.
However, she also believes that improvement will never be achieved without displaying kindness, modesty, and gratitude.
Within the last few years, LeAnna took a giant leap out of her comfort zone and dove headfirst into the colorful world of street art, chalkfests, and muralism without a second thought, and continues to "wow" herself by successfully doing what she assumed she couldn't. Her biggest tackle this season looks to be the tomato crop.
Allison Severson
St. Paul, MN
Instagram @alleycreations
Allison is an Illustrator, Painter, Chalk Artist, Muralist, and Photographer. In recent years, she has earned a Certificate in Visualization Technology from Saint Paul Community & Technical College which built upon her BA in Illustration received in 2005 from The College of Visual Arts in Saint Paul.
Allison recently illustrated a children's book, which was completed in 2017. She has also been hired to create fine art, character and t-shirt design, murals, and illustrations for holiday cards and family portraits. Her studies in Chalk art has recently promoted her from an Amateur Artist to Professional.
Madelyn is from North St. Paul, MN. She is an active arts enthusiast with some of her favorite pass times involving visual art, media, writing, and theater arts.
She has attended numerous chalk festivals and works with a varicty of mediums such as colored pencils, charcoal, soft pastel/chalk, acrylic paints, watercolor paints, and various types of ink.
She has been doing chalk art for about two and a half years and it has become a big part of her life. She credits Chalkfest At Arbor Lakes' Artist in Residence: Shawn McCann as one of her greatest mentors and for helping her get where she is today.
Joel Yau
San Rafael, CA
Instagram @studioyau
A successful commercial artist, Joel Yau brings to his visual arts a wealth of knowledge and a curiousity to explore new ground. He is accomplished working with oils, acrylics, and chalk pastels and most recently in ceramics. Though the subject and medium may vary, Joel’s well honed skills as a draftsman and designer are evident in his all of his work. Since 1997, Joel has been invited to participate in street painting festivals in major cities in North and Central
America, Europe and Asia. These festivals allow him to create large format reproductions in 2d as well as 3D anamorphic design. His skilled hands, outgoing personality and love of this ephemeral art have made joel a very successful chalk muralist and his work in this arena has won many accolades and awards.
Joel has a degree in Illustration from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and Visual Communications in Advertising from the University of the Philippines. He is a professional Graphic Designer, Illustrator, and Art Director who lives in beautiful Marin County just a few miles north of San Francisco
Instagram @chalkunity
Community Mandala Specialist, MN, ND, GA. CommUNITY, creativity & the power of play are my jam! Sandy has created unifying and community engaged mandalas across the country and specializes in bringing people out of their shell to help create public inspired pieces
Rylee Slivicki
Wahpeton, ND
Facebook @rylee.slivicki
Rylee Slivicki, owner of Creative Rose is a self taught spiritual artist that uses everything & anything to bring love & light to this world. She's always loved art because it gives individuals the ability to self express beyond words, & hope to bring about change through the creation of art that speaks to the soul.
Gloria Ing
Los Angeles, CA
Instagram @missing.artist
She is a Southern California artist known for her bold murals and community-driven chalk art.
With 20+ years of experience and a background in Art Education, she creates 20-25 large-scale murals annually across the U.S. Her award-winning work has been featured at top chalk festivals,
including the world's largest in Pasadena. Gloria views the sidewalk as more than a surface-it's a space to spark creativity, connection, and conversation. Whether solo or with a team, her mission stays the same: bring people together through unexpected, inspiring art.
Erik Greenwalt
Pittsburg, PA
Facebook @thechalkingdad
Instagram @thechalkingdad
Erik's passion for chalk art began more than 15 years ago in the driveway of his suburban Pittsburgh home, when his then-toddler- aged daughters, Jayce and Jenna, first asked him to draw Mickey, Cinderella, Elmo and Eeyore. Those young art directors were very demanding and wanted more and more elaborate pieces. Erik soon became known as "The Chalking Dad" among his neighbors. Today, Erik - who in real life is a Certified Public Accountant working in corporate finance - is also a certified "master" chalk artist in the Florida Chalk Artist Association.
He participates in street painting festivals around the world, where he joins other artists in creating large-scale, elaborate chalk drawings over several days.
Alex Maksiov
Ukraine (International Artist)
Instagram @maksiov
Alex Maksiov is one of the pioneer street artists to create 3d street painting in Ukraine. Alex has been drawing consciously since 1990. From 1995 till 2000 was studying in Odessa Art College (Ukraine) on the painting specialty. Then, in 2001 continued education in the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture in Kyiv, Ukraine and got master's degree on the specialty of Restoration of canvas oil paintings in 2007. He has been doing 3d street painting since 2010. Also specializes in making murals and 3d mural. Alex involved in famous international projects and does street art across the Globe.
Lakeville, MN
Instagram @brielle.freeburg
Brielle Freeburg is a freshman at Lakeville North High School. Inspired by her chalk-hero, Shawn McCann, she completed her first piece in this chalk festival when she was 11-years-old. She has since been featured at numerous festivals and has won awards from them as well. She loves skiing, paddle boarding, track, summer, hanging with her friends and family, and the color pink.
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