ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - A group of 30 chalk-wielding volunteers used their best artistic skills to transform the Hanley Road underpass of Forest Park Parkway in Clayton into a temporary art installation on Saturday.
"Our goal was to clean up and beautify this concrete canvas, lift the spirits of passersby, and have a good time," according to KMOX Radio's Charlie Brennan who spearheaded this effort.
Brennan added, "It will be great if we can enhance more underpasses in the St. Louis area."
Volunteers included:
--Clayton Mayor Michelle Harris.
--Andy Cross, Scenic Artist for the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival
--nationally renowned sculptor Harry Weber (creator of Chuck Berry, Bobby Orr, Doug Flutie, Dred Scott statues)
--members of the St. Louis Artists' Guild.
Retired Clayton Schools art teacher Maryellen Picker was the project's Creative Director. She chose "Missouri wildflowers" for the day's theme. The artists also created a 20-foot caterpillar in honor of the children's author Eric Carle who died on May 23rd.
The project received a Special Use Permit from the St. Louis County Department of Transportation.
The artists' creations should last 8-10 months, according to Brennan.
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Clayton Mayor Michelle Harris joined forces with volunteer artists Jane Bornstein and Judy Johnson to decorate a concrete column with purple fleabane.
(Charlie Brennan, KMOX)Sisters Mindy McCoy and Missy Castro created giant coneflowers on the sloping concrete under Forest Park Parkway at Hanley Road.
(Charlie Brennan, KMOX)Artist Camille Pegg used chalk to decorate the concrete Forest Park Parkway underpass with Ironweed, a Missouri wildflower.
(Charlie Brennan, KMOX)Beth Williams, art teacher at Meramec Elementary in the Clayton Public Schools, used chalk to decorate sloping concrete with goat's rue.
(Charlie Brennan, KMOX)KMOX listeners Lee and Elaine Rauhut surrounded their favorite parrot with tickseed coreopsis.
(Charlie Brennan, KMOX)Maryellen Picker, Andy Cross and Shawn Chereskin create a caterpillar in honor of the late children's author Eric Carle.
(Charlie Brennan, KMOX)St. Louis artists Deb Watson and Caeli Millett create a purple aster using chalk on concrete.
(Charlie Brennan, KMOX)Sculptor Harry Weber shared his interpretation of the Missouri wildflower foxglove.
(Charlie Brennan, KMOX)St. Louis artist Celeste Grayer take a break underneath the Forest Park Parkway after "chalking" a gigantic Partridge Pea.
(Charlie Brennan, KMOX)
