On April 25 and 26, noon to 6 p.m. San Diego's historic Little Italy district will bloom with the white tents of ArtWalk. Hundreds local and national artists show and sell their creations in a variety of media including paint, sculpture, dance, photography, digital imagery, architecture and design - along 16 blocks throughout hip and historic Little Italy, mostly along Kettner Blvd. and India Street.
This free event gives the public a rare opportunity to meet nationally known and emerging artists and perhaps, begin or round out a personal art collection. Activities take place in the heart of Little Italy. Serious art collectors and browsers alike will spend a delightful day exploring the restaurants, galleries and shops that make Little Italy the hippest community in San Diego.
This year's ArtWalk highlights:
Mexican Art Work Exhibition
For the 25th anniversary, the event will highlight the group “Artes de Mexico” recognizing several artists from throughout the country of Mexico as 2009 Featured Artists. The Consulado General de Mexico/Mexican Cultural Institute, located in the Consulado building at India and Cedar Streets, celebrates artistic excellence from Mexican artists by bringing more than 25 artists from all over Mexico to ArtWalk. Some of the artists participating are: Cecilia Garcia Amaro, Hugo Heredia Barrera, Vivian Carrasco, Hector Juarez, Alenjandro Martinez-Peña, Alejandra Phelts, Julio Rodriguez, Maria Evangelina Rodriguez, Jacqueline Shaw, David Silva, Martin Tellez, Gilberto Valadez and Claudia Zamudio Mainou.
ArtReach Silent Auction: The Art of the Kite
Participating Mission Federal ArtWalk artists will create their artistic interpretation of a kite in support of ArtReach, a local nonprofit art education program. These art kites will be on display in a variety of venues including Mission Federal Credit Union branches throughout San Diego County prior to the festival and in a designated area at the event where attendees will have the opportunity to bid on them.
Music and More
The festival will feature more than 28 musical performing groups and live performances on 7 stages this year. For the first time, gospel groups will perform at the opening of the event on both Saturday and Sunday.
KidsWalk
Located at Amici Park, KidsWalk gives children and families an opportunity to find their inner artists and come and enjoy visual and performing art in a fun and creative way. Different organizations inspire kids through hands-on interactive activities such as Shoes of Hope, Ocean Art, Face Painting and Animal Masks, Mini Kite Making, art projects made from recycled and reclaimed items, and interactive music performances.
Bi-National Showcase
The Consulado General de Mexico/Mexican Cultural Institute, located in the Consulado building at India and Cedar Streets, celebrate artistic excellencefrom Mexican artists by bringing more than 25 artists from all over Mexico to ArtWalk. These artists include Cecilia García Amaro, Silvia Galindo, Alejandro Martínez Peña, Julio Rodriguez, and Angel Valrá.
Parking Info
Limited street parking and pay lots are available throughout the area. The largest parking venue is the ACE Parking lot located at the County Administration Building, 1600 Pacific Highway. It is three blocks west of the ArtWalk area.
A better way to ArtWalk is to take the MTS Trolley to get to ArtWalk. The Trolley stops right at the western edge of the event area, between Cedar St and Beech St (the "County Center/Little Italy" stop). Walk east on Cedar or Beech to begin your exploration. For routes and fares, visit www.sdcommute.com
