Shantell Martin: Sidewalk Chalk Day to be at NBMAA

The New Britain Museum of American Art is to host a “Sidewalk Chalk Day” this week, featuring its current NEW/NOW artist, Shantell Martin.

“Shantell Martin uses chalk and paint to create works on pavement,” the Museum says, inviting guests to visit the artist’s, “exciting exhibition upstairs for inspiration and then head outside to create your own masterpiece or inspiring message on the hardtop outside of the Museum.”

The activity is to be Saturday, November 14, 2020 from 10:00am to 3:00pm.

The Museum says that, “All New Britain residents and families are free,” noting that,

Timed reservations are required at nbmaa.org/visit so we can maintain social distancing and plan for art supplies; start times are limited to 15 individuals per 15 minutes to guarantee plenty of safe distancing. Please call the Museum if you need assistance making a reservation.

The Museum’s website has information on how to make reservations. Its phone number is 860-229-0257.

The Museum also says that, “we will be taking photos of our visitors and their sidewalk masterpieces to share on our FB page.”

“A face mask covering your nose and mouth is required to enter the Museum,” the Museum notes.

The New Britain Museum of American Art says that its, “founding in 1903 entitles the institution to be designated the first museum of strictly American art in the country,” adding that,

With particular strengths in colonial portraiture, the Hudson River School, American Impressionism, and the Ash Can School, not to mention the important mural series The Arts of Life in America by Thomas Hart Benton, the museum relies heavily on its permanent collection for exhibitions and programming, yet also displays a significant number of borrowed shows and work by emerging artists. The singular focus on American art and its panoramic view of American artistic achievement make the New Britain Museum of American Art a significant teaching resource available to the local, regional, and national public.

The Museum is located at 56 Lexington Street, adjoining New Britain’s historic Walnut Hill Park.