Amber Lee Fawson



Sidewalk Story 

Data Activism with Sidewalk Chalk



Created for the MA in Data Design
at Elisava Barcelona School of Design and Engineering
with mentorship from Paadín, Co-director of the MA Data Design

Entry for the 2024 Information Is Beautiful Awards


About my project

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.





Step-by-step instructions allow anyone to create charts on a sidewalk.



This sign is designed to be placed beside the sidewalk data, sharing data sources and offering additional detail at https://ArtChart.tiiny.site.



At https://ArtChart.tiiny.site, a downloadable pdf offers further insight into the data. It also gives citizens everything they need to re-create the sidewalk charts on their own, so they can talk to more passersby and further spread the message.



Anyone with access to a printer and standard office paper can create the needed stencils to chalk up the sidewalk.








While drawing data on the sidewalk, curious passersby stopped, and I was able to share data and collect personal narratives to pass on.





The full toolkit

Please click here to navigate to https://artchart.tiiny.site to view the full Sidewalk Story toolkit as a passerby would view it.

The toolkit includes additional details about the three sidewalk charts, three additional charts and data, an invitation to re-create the Sidewalk Story, and all the needed stencils and practical advice.