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Creating Little Bits Of Joy: Ann Arbor Chalk Artist Continues To Create Local Art At Safe Distance

David Zinn

With the streets of downtown Ann Arbor much emptier these days due to the current health crisis, local chalk artist David Zinn has been safely distancing and using the opportunity to keep his one-man business alive.  He's finding more places and more opportunities to bring a bit of joy to the community by drawing new chalk art creations around town.  

He spoke to WEMU's Lisa Barry about his latest efforts.

The one way Ann Arbor artist David Zinn can keep his company afloat is to continue to make art very carefully.  Zinn maintains social distance, wears a face mask, and isolates himself from others.

Credit David Zinn
The best part about having no place to go is the freedom to fully enjoy not getting there.

Zinn's type of art only requires himself and a surface to draw on.  As people are abiding by the "Stay Home Stay Safe" order, he's finding plenty of places to draw on that he would never have been able to create before.

Zinn also sees his work as therapeutic for himself and others.  Making drawings for his own mental health helps him process things and work through them but likes to share them as a respite from what's happening all over the world. 

Credit David Zinn
And then, amid the grey-green twigs of early spring, they re-emerged: the very small rocks who want to be manatees.

If you enjoy Zinn's work, his books and artwork can be purchased at his online store

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— Lisa Barry is the host of All Things Considered on WEMU. You can contact Lisa at 734.487.3363, on Twitter @LisaWEMU, or email her at lbarryma@emich.edu

Lisa Barry was a reporter, and host of All Things Considered on 89.1 WEMU.
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