Walk down almost any street in a major city, and you’ll likely encounter public art: murals stretching across walls, crosswalks exploding with color, plazas filled with painted patterns. These pieces might seem like decoration at first glance, but they’re more than just background visuals. Increasingly, they’re messages of resistance, expressions of identity, and tools for transformation. And much of this work is being led by women.
At Chalk Riot, we’ve had the privilege of working with an incredible team of artists—many of whom are women and non-binary creatives—who are quite literally reshaping our cities from the ground up. For us, reclaiming the street isn’t just about beautifying space. It’s about challenging old systems, building community, and creating places where safety, joy, and visibility intersect. It’s about what we like to call the “Sidewalk Sisterhood.”
The Street as a Site of Power
Public space has always been political. Who gets to use it, who is welcome, and who feels safe are questions that sit at the center of urban planning. Historically, streets were designed for one thing: the efficient movement of cars. That design came with a cost—especially for women, people of color, and other marginalized communities who often experience public space differently.
Women are more likely to rely on walking and public transportation. Women of color, in particular, face higher rates of harassment and violence in public spaces. And in the field of urban design, public art, and transportation planning, women remain underrepresented.
That’s why it’s so powerful to see women stepping into leadership roles—not just behind murals, but in conversations about what streets should look and feel like. Through art, we are literally painting new visions of public space. And those visions come from lived experience.
From Studio to Street
For many artists, the transition from private studio work to public art is transformative. It certainly was for us. Working outdoors, on pavement, surrounded by the buzz of the city, forces you to think differently. You’re no longer creating in isolation. You’re responding—to weather, to traffic, to people walking by. You’re in the public eye, and that visibility is both a challenge and a privilege.
Women artists often navigate added layers of scrutiny when working in public. We’ve heard the comments—unsolicited advice, assumptions about our roles, questions about our credentials. But with every chalk line and every brushstroke, we push back against those outdated narratives. We’re not assistants. We’re not just “helping out.” We are leading. We are directing teams. We are shaping space.
And we are doing it in full view, in full daylight, with our names signed on the street.
Collaboration as Resistance
Public art is inherently collaborative. At Chalk Riot, our projects are rarely solo ventures. We work in crews, we engage the community, and we invite participation. This approach—centered on listening, empathy, and inclusion—is part of what sets women-led creative teams apart.
It’s not just about what the final mural looks like. It’s about how it gets made. Who was at the table during planning? Who got to share their story? Who had a hand in holding a brush?
By centering collaboration, we’re disrupting traditional models of authorship and power in the art world. And we’re modeling a more equitable way to shape cities—one where multiple voices matter, and where the creative process itself builds trust and connection.
From Visibility to Safety
When women paint the streets, we aren’t just making cities more beautiful. We’re making them more aware. Public art created by women often draws attention to issues that affect us deeply: safety, accessibility, belonging. And those messages don’t fade when the paint dries.
Take traffic calming murals, for example. These aren’t just vibrant additions to crosswalks and intersections. They’re tools for saving lives. When we design for safety—with color, with pattern, with care—we’re protecting everyone, but especially those most at risk: children, seniors, people with disabilities, and yes, women who are walking, pushing strollers, or cycling to work.
When the streets reflect our presence, our stories, and our needs, they become safer. Not just physically, but emotionally. Visibility itself is a form of safety. When women see ourselves represented in public space, we feel more empowered to take up space—and to demand that space be designed with us in mind.
Entrepreneurship Meets Activism
The rise of women-led public art collectives is part of a larger shift in the creative economy. More women are starting businesses, leading teams, and using entrepreneurship as a platform for social change. Chalk Riot is proud to be part of that movement.
Running a public art studio isn’t just about getting commissions. It’s about navigating city politics, managing logistics, mentoring young artists, and advocating for more inclusive funding and policy. It’s about showing that creative labor is real labor—and that women deserve recognition, fair pay, and leadership opportunities within it.
We see our work as a form of activism. Not the loud, megaphone-on-the-steps kind (though we love that, too). Ours is more often the kind that gets kneepads dirty and hands covered in pigment. It’s the kind of activism that quietly, persistently, joyfully makes change by building beauty and meaning into places that were once ignored.
The Future Is Painted Together
The sidewalk sisterhood isn’t a formal club. There are no meetings, no uniforms, no membership cards. But we know it when we see it. It’s the group of artists who show up early and stay late. It’s the muralists mentoring young creatives. It’s the planners who advocate for public art budgets. It’s the residents who come out to help paint a traffic circle in the summer heat. It’s the storytellers, the peacebuilders, the mothers, the caretakers, the community weavers.
We believe that women creatives are not just making art—they’re reshaping the world. One sidewalk at a time.
As we look ahead, we’re excited about what’s possible. We want more women leading projects, more non-binary artists stepping into public space, more girls seeing art careers as powerful paths. We want to see color and creativity infused into every part of our city planning process—not as an afterthought, but as a core strategy for making streets safer, more inclusive, and more alive.
At Chalk Riot, we’ll keep drawing the future we want to live in. And we know we’re not alone. Because every time we kneel down to start a new mural, we feel the strength of the sidewalk sisterhood beside us—chalk in hand, vision in heart, and power in every line.