Standing with their heads tilted sideways, the onlookers were stunned that this distorted image in front of them turned into a remarkable 3D image upon viewing from a single vantage point. Something that moments ago was perplexing, suddenly made complete sense. Onlookers were stunned and delighted. Such is the notion of 3D street art and the magic of anamorphic creation.
For Shawn McCann, this path in his creative journey started approximately 20 years ago completely by accident. As a graduate of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, he started his career as an illustrator and fine artist. When someone asked him to recreate one of his works on the sidewalk, he decided to take a chance. This small step into street art would put Shawn on a new course—one that helped shape the rest of his career.
With that happenstance of a moment, and a rekindling of a love of chalk art on the sidewalk, Shawn has now taken part in street art festivals in nearly every state and 20-plus countries around the world. He was one of only twenty artists chosen to take part in Dubai Canvas in the United Arab Emirates in 2018 and has been featured in festivals such as the International Street Art Festival in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, the Coloured Earth Festival in the United Kingdom, and Arte al Piso in Bogota, Colombia.
As a result of his travels, Shawn began to realize that there was a lack of chalk art back home in the Midwest and the potential for similar events. After many years traveling elsewhere, the time had come to find a location willing to host a chalk art festival right here in our back yard in Minnesota. This wasn’t an easy task, but after many visits and years of campaigning, Arbor Lakes in Maple Grove became the initial testing ground for this ephemeral art form. And with that, Chalkfest at Arbor Lakes took shape (now known as Maple Grove Chalk Fest).
The summer joy of chalk art in Minnesota had taken root. From that initial Chalkfest, Shawn’s vision to bring festivals to the Midwest has grown into ten different festivals throughout the Midwest that continue to bring joy and inspiration to artists and spectators alike, many of whom make annual pilgrimages to the different locations to watch their favorite chalk artists create.
Even though the masterpieces are temporary, the memories created through them cannot be washed away by rain or street cleaners. The roots run deep, and the love and joy inspired through the art live on in the communities long after the creations are gone.
These festivals do more than just beautify the streets and bring communities together to enjoy them. They open up Minnesota to the international art scene in the chalk art world. This has led to collaboration with traveling artists from all over the world, and many have commented on how much they love it here. The “Minnesota nice” ideal really comes shining through, especially when it comes to appreciating the arts. Many of the out-of-town artists refer to the Minnesota festivals as “coming home.”
One of the attractions of chalk art festivals is the ephemeral nature of the art. Just like life, chalk art is fleeting, created for a moment. However, Shawn wanted to create a more permanent location where artists could come together to show their work and take inspiration from each other. With that in mind, he created Canvas Convergence in the Shops at West End in St. Louis Park in late 2023. The gallery’s mission is to make art more accessible and inspiring to the general public by hosting pieces that participants can interact with and pose in. Its primary goal is to support community growth by being a place where people can come together and support public art. Not only is the art being featured in the gallery, but 3D commissioned pieces for events, festivals, corporate projects and businesses of all sorts continue to be created thru Shawn’s Studio.
Local artists also teach classes at the gallery to the community in such mediums as introductory stained glass, illustration, felting, painting, and mandala creation just to name a few. The idea is to show that art doesn’t need to be pretentious. It can be and should be accessible to all. The gallery was created with the intention of helping people recognize that art is all around them and is not just found hanging on a wall.
Artists are involved in far more than people realize—from the configuration of the chairs they sit in to the design of the house they live in. Art is everywhere. Shawn hopes that by recognizing this, people will start thinking outside the box and challenge themselves to create without fear of trying something new. The 3D interactive art gallery brings this art into the hands and hearts of its viewers and allows them to really dive in and make their best pose possible—essentially becoming part of the art.
Local artists have also found this to be a great place to show and sell their wares and creations. As more visitors and artists come through, Shawn hopes it becomes an inspiring location to encourage others to pursue their passion, or simply appreciate it!
Information about Canvas Convergence and class opportunities can be found at http://www.canvasconvergence.com
