Update: Chalktoberfest 2026 has been cancelled because of severe weather. More on that below.
This week I got to help spread the word about Chalktoberfest 2026 with back-to-back news features: FOX 5 Atlanta one day and ATL Live the next.
FOX 5 Atlanta in Marietta
For FOX 5, my husband and fellow chalk artist Zach Herndon and I set up on a Marietta sidewalk early in the morning and chalked live while Paul Milliken from FOX 5 talked with us about the festival. The design paired the FOX 5 Atlanta and City of Marietta logos with a red poppy, pink daisies, and a magnolia.
The segment aired on FOX 5 Atlanta as “Annual Chalktoberfest draws international artists to Marietta.”
ATL Live in the studio
The next day I joined ATL Live hosts Ava Braatz and Savannah Louie in the studio, with Zach by my side again. While we talked about the festival, we worked on a chalk drawing for the show: a butterfly, an eye, bright hearts, and the ATL Live logo. Chalk art is always more fun when people get to experience it happening live, and a TV studio is a pretty great place to do that.
The hosts asked where my ideas come from:
I draw a lot of female portraits about empowerment and strength, so there’s a lot of symbolism. This is kind of a snippet of what I typically do: an eyeball and some butterflies.
Jessi Queen, ATL Live
They also asked how I got started with chalk:
Back in 2007, 2008, I went to college at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and they have a festival in Savannah for the students. Then I was one of the first artists at Chalktoberfest, back in 2012 or 2013. I met other artists, and it’s such a big community. I just started traveling and doing it.
Jessi Queen, ATL Live
And Zach talked about the artists coming in from around the world:
All the artists that come out are super talented. They all have their own style, they bring really great energy, and they’re our friends. We chalk with them at other events, and it’s always wonderful to be there with them.
Zach Herndon, ATL Live
Then we got everyone’s hands dusty. Zach walked Ava and Savannah through filling in a chalk heart and shading it as if a light were shining down on it, the same layering we use on the street. When one of the hosts said he should teach classes because he explains it so well, Zach joked that he’s always trying to tell me what to do.
Before we wrapped, the hosts asked Zach for a preview of what he planned to chalk at the festival:
I am drawing the love of my life, Jessi Queen. I’m doing it with some kind of animal. I was thinking a bearded dragon… and I’ll do it in a pop art style. So if you see me out there this weekend, you’ll recognize it.
Zach Herndon, ATL Live
The ATL Live page also has a second segment, where the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art shares the festival’s story, from its first artists to its plan for rain.
Faces, color, and community
I put together these questions and answers for my interviews, before we learned the festival was cancelled.
Being a featured local artist at Chalktoberfest feels especially meaningful this year. I’ll be chalking alongside artists I’ve worked with in Italy, Germany, Mexico, and across the United States, welcoming that community close to home.
Here’s a little about what I’m creating, what inspires my work, and what you’ll see as the artwork takes shape.
What are you creating for Chalktoberfest this year?
This year’s theme is America 250, and I’m drawing Beyoncé inspired by Cowboy Carter. After seeing the tour, I was drawn to her confidence, creativity, and the version of America she presents. To me, she represents a strong American woman defining herself and helping shape our culture. That felt like a meaningful way to interpret the theme through my own work.
What do you typically draw?
I usually create expressive faces of women, exploring strength, resilience, and individuality. Bold color, flowers, and symbolism help me give form to thoughts and dreams. I’m interested in the feelings an expression can hold and the different connections people bring to it.
Are the women in your artwork real people?
Usually, they’re imagined. Because I work in realism, people often ask, “Who are you drawing?” I combine different references to create a face that personifies a thought, feeling, or dream. Her identity is open, and viewers can find their own meaning in her expression.
Beyoncé is a recognizable subject I’ve specifically chosen for this year’s theme.
Why do you include flowers and other natural imagery?
Flowers and natural imagery give me another way to explore an idea beyond the face itself. Some come from photographs I’ve taken while traveling. Their shapes, colors, and associations become part of the composition, with meaning that changes from piece to piece.
Where has chalk art taken you?
I’ve created artwork across the United States and at festivals in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Mexico. Those experiences have connected me with artists whose work and friendship mean a lot to me. Chalktoberfest brings some of those relationships back together here in Georgia.
What makes Chalktoberfest special to you?
It brings my international chalk community and my local community together. I’m honored to be a featured local artist and excited to welcome people I’ve worked alongside elsewhere.
For visitors, it’s also a chance to experience the making of the art. You can watch a piece grow from an outline into a finished image and talk with the artist along the way.
How do you create depth with chalk?
I build up layers of color, using light and shadow to give the face or object form. I often use purples, blues, and greens in my shadows. Blending creates soft transitions, while marks layered over the top bring back texture and detail.
A consistent light source helps everything feel connected. Even a simple heart can start to look rounded when you give it a light side and a dark side.
Do you really blend with a pool noodle?
Yes! Pieces of pool noodle make useful blending tools, especially over larger areas. I also use crosshatching, which means layering little crossing strokes of color. Combining blended areas with visible marks gives me different textures to work with.
What happens when it rains?
Rain can soften or wash away the chalk. We watch the weather and protect the artwork when possible, but it remains a temporary medium. Photographs preserve a record of the finished piece and the process.
How do you feel about making something temporary?
The temporary nature of chalk makes the time spent with it meaningful to me. The work exists in a shared space, where people can watch, ask questions, and connect. The image may disappear, but the experience and the conversations become part of its story.
How do you and Zach share chalk art beyond the festival?
Zach and I founded the Georgia Chalk Artists Guild in 2014 to bring chalk art to the broader community in Georgia. Through festivals, demonstrations, and workshops, we share techniques and give people opportunities to try it themselves.
What would you like people to take away from seeing your work?
I hope they pause and feel a connection. They might recognize a feeling in a face, notice an unexpected color, or find their own story in the image. I like leaving space for that response.
Zach on why Chalktoberfest matters
At last year’s festival, Atlanta News First talked with Zach about what keeps bringing us back. It says it all:
Chalktoberfest is an opportunity for me to come and hang out with my friends who are from all over the country, but it’s also a really great way to connect with people in general.
Zach Herndon, Atlanta News First, 2025
Chalk art is very performative. It’s a lot like a musician playing a song. We’re out here drawing, we’re creating, and people stop and they want to talk and they want to find out more.
Zach Herndon
The community is the best. Everybody is just so talented and helpful. This is my favorite time of my favorite season.
Zach Herndon
Our friend Annmarie Geniusz was in the story too, talking about how artists swap tips and pointers and learn from each other on the street. That sharing is a big part of what makes this community special.
Chalktoberfest 2026 is cancelled
Just days after all that excitement, we got the news: Chalktoberfest 2026, which was set for October 10–11 on the Marietta Square, has been called off. A tropical storm is headed for metro Atlanta and North Georgia that weekend, with strong wind gusts, heavy rain, flooding, and even the chance of tornadoes.
I’m so sad. I was honestly surprised, because one year we chalked right through a hurricane and the festival went on. But it makes sense. The Marietta Cobb Museum of Art made a hard call to keep artists, volunteers, vendors, and visitors safe, and that has to come first.
The good news is that Chalktoberfest will be back in 2027, and the museum is planning to make it bigger and better than ever. I can’t wait to chalk on the Marietta Square again.
Chalktoberfest has been a favorite of mine for years. Until next year, read about past festivals: Chalktoberfest 2015, Chalktoberfest 2016, my 2017 interview, and Atlanta News First’s 2025 festival story.
Thank you to Paul Milliken and FOX 5 Atlanta, and to Ava, Savannah and ATL Live for having us!