People were invited to grab some chalk and a space on the quad and participate in the 5th Annual Fullerton College Sidewalk Art Festival held by the Cadena Center.

The cloudy weather did not stop people from coming out. According to the Cadena Center Coordinator Vincent White at least 75 people contributed artwork, which is the most participants they have seen.

White attributes the entry of people to the amount of space they had this year now that the Quad has finished with renovations.

“I knew once we got back to the middle of the Quad [the amount of participants] would grow back again,” said White. “This year we took over the entire Quad and were able to space people out so they’re not working on top of each other.”

The Quad was busier than it usually is on a weekday morning. Most people made sure to take a moment to look around, while carefully stepping away from the art.

The sidewalks were covered by artworks and people hovering over them, either drawing or observing. Some artworks covered an entire slab of sidewalk while others only took up a corner. The drawings varied from popular TV characters and animals to more personal messages and cultural displays.

Shantal Lopez, the art advertiser for MEChA, was here to represent her club, culture, and most importantly, her art.

“Since Day of the Dead is coming up soon, I decided to do a piece on that. It’s linked to MEChA and Hispanic roots,” said Lopez.

 In honor of National Diversity Day and the Fullerton College Centennial Celebration, participants could either be a part of the Centennial Art Contest or a free draw. Contestants of the centennial competition were asked to create something that was reflective of the school’s history.

 “Honestly, I thought this was just about anybody who wanted to draw on the floor, but when I found out about the contest, I thought it could be a challenge,” said Samantha Borchard, art major.

Borchard said she hoped to create a piece that reflected the change between the modern architecture of the campus to the one from 100 years ago.

“It’s a challenge to research what the school was about and then taking that and drawing it as opposed to just doing something that I am used to doing and can do easily. This was really hard to do,” said Borchard.

There may have been a lot of experienced artists out working but this event also drew in students who were not art majors.

Biology major Heidy Hernandez said that other than sometimes drawing during her free time, she did not have any prior art experience but wanted to participate anyway.

“This is my first time doing something like this but I just felt like I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to do something new,” said Hernandez.

Hernandez thought that it would be nice to be able to come out, relax, and draw with chalk.

“Once you start drawing you kind of forget about everything and you just start getting into your art,” said Hernandez. “It’s cool that everyone has their own ideas, messages, and talents and you can share it with everyone else. It’s your chance at free expression.”

The first and second prizes the centennial art contest are $100 and $50 giftcards to the Bookstore. Winners will be awarded Monday.