Radio Commentary
The plaza of the Old Mission will again come to colorful
life when Santa Barbara’s Italian Street Painting festival is celebrated over
Memorial Day weekend, May 25 to 27.
I
Madonnari, part Renaissance fair, part performance art, and one of Santa
Barbara's most popular open-air festivals, will once again transform the piazza
at the Mission over Memorial Day Weekend.
My office
sponsors the program, run through our Children’s Creative Project, as a
continuing means of fostering art education and expression for young and old
alike.
It is also
a major fund-raiser for the Children’s Creative Project.
The Project uses professional
artists-in-residence to provide quality arts instruction in the visual and
performing arts.
They also sponsor professional
performing arts groups to come to Santa Barbara to work with our school
children.
These performers reach some 40,000
children in scores of elementary schools.
The Children’s Creative Project is more
essential than ever as more and more school districts are forced to cut arts
offerings from their budgets. Every dollar raised is used to support visual and
performing arts instruction in our schools.
At the I Madonnari festival, pavement squares
sponsored by businesses and organizations are made available for local artists,
architects, and school children.
Don’t miss
out on this local tradition, starting May 25 at the Santa Barbara Mission.
