Sidewalk Story by Amber Lee Fawson

I created the Sidewalk Story to bring data journalism to public streets and to spark public dialogue about arts access. The charts for the Sidewalk Story can be re-created on a public sidewalk by anyone who has four colors of sidewalk chalk and access to a black-and-white printer.

I created three charts on the topic of arts access for students in public schools. I designed the charts so they could be drawn in one afternoon using a printable toolkit, available at https://ArtChart.tiiny.site.

The toolkit includes a printable sign to place beside the charts. Passersby can see the chalk charts in person then view the toolkit online to learn more about the topic. The toolkit then invites viewers to re-create the Sidewalk Story on their own, so they can spark additional dialogue. The toolkit includes true-to-size stencils as well as practical tips to help anyone have a successful afternoon of sidewalk data activism.