The ARTS District of Santa Barbara recently unveiled a street chalk painting in front of the Arlington Theatre. The artwork was done in collaboration with the Children’s Creative Project (CCP) on its signature fundraiser I Madonnari.

I Madonnari is the Italian Street Painting Festival whose many pieces can still be viewed outside the Santa Barbara Mission.

The ARTS District partnered with area artist Ann Hefferman this year to bring the spirit of I Madonnari to its neighborhood downtown in support of the festival and the Children’s Creative Project, which brings arts education programs to schools throughout the county, CCP said.

The Children’s Creative Project reaches some 50,000 children annually, in 100 Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo county schools. For more, visit www.ccp.sbceo.org.

The whimsical downtown street art was designed to represent the variety of art forms found in the ARTS District.

It also represents the variety of art-oriented programs CCP offers: dance, visual arts, drama and music.

In keeping with the spirit of Memorial Day weekend, the downtown piece includes white gardenias, the favorite flower of founding ARTS District member Leslie Hollis Lopez, former co-owner of Carlitos Cafe and Cantina, who died earlier this year, and to whom this year’s painting is dedicated.

“This was the second annual street painting sponsored by the Arts District in the neighborhood, and we look forward to continuing this now annual tradition next year,” the district said.

The ARTS District’s mission is to support Santa Barbara arts and economy by promoting public awareness of the neighborhood as a vibrant art, cultural and creative district through special events, community outreach, and collaborative marketing efforts.

For more, visit www.artsdistrictsb.org.