Little Italy Madonnari Arts Festival
Summer has sadly come to an end, and the chilly Maryland weather is setting in (sometimes). The good news is, Baltimore still has events going on in the community. Today I wanted to give a shout out to our neighbors over in Little Italy. For our Bed & Breakfast guests reading this post, I highly suggest walking a few blocks over to Little Italy and supporting our neighbors and local community!
One event I read about the other day is the 125th Columbus Celebration Madonnari Arts Festival happening October 1-4. I am a huge fan of art, especially street art, so this was right up my alley. Street painting, music, theater, dance, food, and wine…what’s not to love?
Artists will be making chalk paintings all over Little Italy on South High Street right in front of you from October 2-4. The theme this year is “The World is Round: Renaissance in Little Italy.” The entire concept of the festival is intriguing:
“Our model for this event originated in Italy in a tradition that dates back to the 16th century — the art of street painting. Historically, i madonnari were wandering artists in Italy who traveled village to village to earn their livelihood at various festivals and on various holy days. The artists often depicted religious images in their paintings, thus earning their name. Such a festival was first introduced in America in Santa Barbara, California in the 1980s. Today, street painters create breathtaking traditional and expressionistic compositions using the street as their canvas and chalk pastels as their medium.”
I think it’s time to embrace our Italian culture in historical Baltimore and attend this festival! For more details, ticket information, and the schedule of events, visit http://littleitalymadonnari.com/schedule-of-events/. See you at the festival!
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