For Immediate Release
San Diego’s Little Italy will come alive with KidsWalk, community mural projects, make & take art activities & more!
SAN DIEGO, April 3, 2023 – Mission Fed ArtWalk – the largest and longest running fine art festival in Southern California – is back for its 39th year, celebrating both visual and performing arts in San Diego. The event also brings several interactive components to fully experience culture in San Diego’s Little Italy on Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30, 2023. From participating in community art projects to experimenting and creating with new mediums, there is something for everyone.
“We believe art has the power to connect communities, cultivate new artistic talent and create a better quality of life for all through cultural enrichment,” said Curt Brooker, Director of ArtWalk San Diego. “The festival brings thousands together to view and purchase artwork, enjoy live music performance, and participate in interactive art experiences.”
Family Friendly Make & Takes:
Both Saturday & Sunday:
- KidsWalk is a hands-on art experience at the festival. Bring the family and participate in fun and creative art experiences provided by arts education groups throughout San Diego County who believe that all children need art.
Saturday:
- Artist and Craftsman Supply will lead an activity where guests use transparent inks and plastic discs to make suncatchers. This will take place at the corner of India and Date (near Caffe Italia).
Sunday:
- Blick Art Materials will be sponsoring a printmaking activity, where attendees will participate in cyanotype printing by compiling found objects and transparencies onto a sun-sensitive paper. Participants will also be able to try out gelli plate image transferring from magazine cutouts to create their own collage. This will also take place at the corner of India and Date (near Caffe Italia).
Community Projects:
- Attendees will add color to a mural depicting scenes of Italy using paint markers. The activity is part of Mission Fed’s activation in the Piazza della Famiglia (India and Date Street).
- This year, Mission Fed ArtWalk presents a color-filled community art project led by local artist, Sarah Stieber. Attendees can help create a giant collaborative canvas utilizing the unique technique of “tape painting” inspired by Stieber’s vibrant tape paintings series. Art enthusiasts of all ages are invited to participate in this fun interactive project (in booth space #838) on India Street, just north of Fir Street. After joining in this activation, guests are invited to stop by Mee Shim Art Gallery in Little Italy to see Stieber’s Pop-up Art Gallery.
Give Back:
- Be sure to participate in this year’s Charity Art Auction, benefiting ArtReach, ArtWalk San Diego’s non-profit partner. Electra Bicycle Company, a San Diego-based company and the leading lifestyle bicycle brand in the U.S., has generously donated a collection of cruiser bikes and bike accessories to be designed by local artists. The bidding takes place online and opens April 1, and the bikes will be displayed at Piazza della Famiglia.
Take the trolley for free!
- MTS has generously provided art lovers with free day passes during Mission Fed ArtWalk weekend, available for the first 3,000 people who download (one pass per person). San Diegans are asked to download and show the pass on their phone. Tickets are good for all Trolley lines; both the blue and green lines take you to ArtWalk. Disembark at the County Center/Little Italy stop, adjacent to the event.
The event will run from 11:00am until 6:00pm on Saturday, April 29 and 10:00am until 5:00pm on Sunday, April 30. Attendance is free. The yearly art festival is brought to San Diego by the same team that brings ArtWalk @ Liberty Station to the ARTS DISTRICT in Liberty Station (this year, Aug. 5-6, 2023) and ArtWalk Carlsbad to North County (this year, Sept. 9-10, 2023). Each of ArtWalk San Diego’s festivals support, ArtReach San Diego, a nonprofit organization aimed at increasing equity in visual arts education in K-8 schools throughout San Diego County by delivering free or low cost workshops to schools that have no other resources for art, focusing on Title One Schools. Many of the programs ArtReach offers are provided at no cost to schools.
For more information on ArtWalk and its programs, please visit www.artwalksandiego.org.
