TedX in Washington, DC (2022)
From the Ted website: While others are looking up, Chelsea Ritter-Soronen is looking down. For Chelsea, the pavement beneath our feet is the most underrated canvases in the world. In this delightful and charming talk, Chelsea explores the unknown history of pavement art as a vehicle for placemaking and protest. You will learn about the various types of pavement art: chalk art and painted, and then in the form of memorial, beautification, protest, expression, campaigning, community connections and education. Chelsea will help you become inspired by the very ground you walk, drive, bike and roll on, and understand its full potential to connect our communities and world.
PBS Feature (2023)
Since 2021, Chalk Riot has annually designed and repainted a 350-foot-long pedestrian plaza mural. This caught the attention of DC’s local PBS station, and they created a lovely piece about our rollercoaster journey over the last decade. This features not only my own perspectives, but those of valued teammates and collaborators.
Gather Fellowship Interview (2022)
In 2022-23 I served as an inaugural artivism fellow with the Seeds of Peace Gather program. The program leverages creative collaboration and informed practices between an international cohort focused on artmaking as a tool for peacebuilding. In this brief video, I offer a summary of why creating art on the ground can be impactful in society.
4th Street SW Mural Interview (2024)
I am honored to have contributed to this public mural gallery in DC. In this brief news interview, I discuss my enthusiasm for the strategic marriage between outdoor artwork and protected bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.