Anonymous
Source: I Madonnari
Planning for the 35th annual I Madonnari Italian Street Painting Festival on May 29, 30, and 31 is underway. At this time, it is not possible to gather in person at the Old Mission, but the spirit of this beautiful festival will be shared virtually. 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 approximately 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 that 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 more than 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, dazzled 2,500 elementary and secondary students.
Click these links for more on CCP and SBCEO.
