26th Annual iMadonnari Festival

Wave after wave of people flocked the plaza outside the Old Mission Santa Barbara today. The annual festival is set to attract thousands of visitors who will gather at the Mission to watch artists and young people create an oasis of colorful chalk street paintings. And though festivals similar to iMadonnari exist all over the country, some who assisted today’s event were quick to point out its uniqueness. “I’m originally from Oklahoma, and we did something similar there but here it’s a much larger scale, and the concrete their drawing on is nicer,” says Carol Cunningham, visiting from Texas.

In addition to being witness to the many delightful works of art, visitors can look forward to eating some delicious food out in a beautiful sunny weather. “We got pizza, we got pasta, we got Italian sausage…everything Italian,” words from Donn Zellet, one of the cooks at iMadonnari. And if you get too hot under the bright sun, don’t fret, there are many tents where you can buy different flavored gelato, snow cones, sodas, and even ice cold beer. And if that wasn’t enough, live musical entertainment fills your ears as you sit down at the many tables to eat and/or as you walk throughout the plaza taking in the sights of everything the iMadonnari Festival has to offer.

Street Painting has been a long tradition in Western Europe as far back as the 15th Century in which nomad artists travelled from town to town reproducing icons of the Madonna with impermanent materials such as chalk. In fact, in Italy, these artists are known as Madonnari (Madonna Painters). This unique art form was nearly lost but revived in Grazie di Curtatone, Italy where today it hosts one of the largest international street painting festivals. In 1987, Executive Director Kathy Koury, brought iMadonnari to Santa Barbara, which became the first street painting festival in North America.

The festival raises needed funds for the Children’s Creative Project, a nonprofit arts education program in Santa Barbara County. Festival hours are 10am to 6pm daily, and admission is free. Parking can get a little tricky so be sure to get there early to get a good spot. The iMadonnari Festival goes on until May 28.

For more information, you may check out http://www.imadonnarifestival.com

To see the full gallery of pictures from this year’s iMadonnari Festival, visit www.redpacificmedia.com