User:Powerleegirls/Youth in Arts Italian Street Painting Festival

Founded in 1994, the Youth in Arts Italian Street Painting Festival is renowned as one of the finest street painting festivals in the world. The Festival is both a fundraiser and a gift to our community--a popular celebration of art, music and culture. Festival sponsors not only make this free event possible, but also help us provide programs for Marin students year-round.

Just 25 minutes north of San Francisco at the historic Mission San Rafael Arcangel, hundreds of madonnari (street painters) transform the streets of San Rafael into a color-splashed gallery for 60,000 visitors each year on the second weekend in June.

Using chalk as the medium and asphalt as the canvas, artists create over 200 images in various styles and sizes. This feast for the eyes is complimented by entertainment on two stages and a wide variety of Italian fare.

At the close of the Festival on Sunday, the Pamela Levine Arts Education Leadership Award is presented to one or more community members who have done exemplary work in creating arts learning opportunities for Marin youth.