Planning is underway for the 35th annual I Madonnari Italian Street Painting Festival, May 29-31. While it is currently not possible to gather in person at the Old Mission, the festival’s will be shared virtually.

Street painter Lisa Jones, sponsored by Marilyn Anticouni Attorney at Law. (Courtesy photo)

This year’s festival will incorporate sponsored chalk drawings on driveways by artists, from young children to professionals. Daily photos of the artwork will be posted on the festival website, Facebook and Instagram pages, and remain up through May 2022. Additional details will be forthcoming.

I Madonnari is presented by and benefits the Children’s Creative Project (CCP), which serves 50,000 students in more than 100 public schools in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

CCP is a nonprofit arts education organization administered by the Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO). Its mission is to inspire and engage all students in the creative process through unique visual and performing arts education and cultural experiences.

CCP collaborates with school districts, professional artists and art organizations to ensure the arts are included in every child’s education, in every school, every grade, every day.

During the pandemic, activities have been offered through virtual platforms. In the 2019-20 school year, before COVID-19, CCP provided the following:

» Visual and performing arts workshops conducted by resident artists during school hours for 33,500 elementary students at 74 school sites.  
» Presented 400 performances by multicultural touring companies for 44,400 children at 86 school sites. 
» A $200 arts credit for each public school to help offset performance fees. 
» A free performance by the Kingdom Choir from England, co-presented with Santa Barbara Bowl Outreach, viewed by 2,500 elementary and secondary students.

For more information, click on CCP and SBCEO.

Businesses, families and individuals can sponsor a street painting square to advertise businesses or recognize loved ones and friends. Squares range in size from 4-feet-by-6-feet to 12-feet-by-12-feet, and $150-$700.

Square sponsors may provide the name of a street painter or painters of any age or experience level, or the festival can designate one. Chalk will be provided.

Each day of the festival, photos of sponsored drawings will be posted on social media and the festival website, along with the sponsor’s name. Sponsor names also will be published in a full-page advertisement and listed on iMadonnariFestival.com.
 
Visit iMadonnariFestival.com or call 805-964-4710 ext. 4412 for more information before April 15 to be included in all advertising.