Old Orcutt been coming alive recently with a host of new restaurants, wine tasting rooms, and boutiques. It’s also set to come alive in temporary, vivid, colorful strokes of chalk as the Old Orcutt Street Paining and Art Festival takes place.
Families, the community, and professional artists will come together to focus on kids for this inaugural event. The intent is to provide a great afternoon for families while raising money for children’s art programs, said Orcutt Children’s Art Foundation Executive Director Hanna Rubalcava.
She said that since joining the Orcutt Children’s Art Foundation board, she’s heard a lot of encouragement for creating a family event in Orcutt.
“We thought it would be a fun thing to do and a great way to get families, students, artists, and the community all together,” Rubalcava said.
The event will feature performances by the Orcutt Academy High School dance team, choir, and band, and artist and vendor booths will line the street. Guests will also enjoy a bucket raffle, and the Orcutt Lions Den will run a tri-tip barbecue.
The biggest draw so far has been the PasspARTs: Children and students can buy a 2-by-2-foot square and chalk for $10 to create their own chalk art drawings. Rubalcava said that while many such festivals also offer a chance for kids to dabble in their own art, this event will be different because it’s the kids who will be the highlight.
There are 200 PasspART squares, available for purchase prior to the event and at the event itself. Some professional artists will be traveling to Orcutt from out of town as well and will take a couple of days to create their work.
The festival benefits the Orcutt Children’s Arts Foundation programs. Formed in 2002, the foundation supports the visual and performing arts in the Orcutt Union School District. Each student in grades Kindergarten through 6 receives lessons taught by professional artists in either dance, drama, or visual arts each year. Classroom mini-grants funded by the foundation support classroom projects and are awarded to teachers in the district through a proposal competition each fall. The foundation also supports special arts-related projects and programs such as district band, district orchestral strings, and drama and music programs throughout the district.
“We’re in a tough position right now as our funding is decreasing and dour need is increasing,” Rubalcava said.
Much support came over the last year when a drive increased membership by more than 400 percent, Rubalcava said. Still, with growth also comes a need to support the programs the foundation provides. Rubalcava encouraged everyone to come support the event by having a great time and seeing some incredible chalk art—at least until it washes away.
Arts Editor Shelly Cone is working on a formula for permanent chalk. Contact her at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Sep 27 – Oct 4, 2012.