L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015 www.italoamericano.org 11 L'Italo-Americano Streets of Little Italy Host 31st Annual Art Walk Artists from across the United States and Mexico came together to display their creativity, art and special talents in San Diego's 31 st Annual Art Walk, bringing throngs of visitors, tourists and native Californians to the fes- tively decorated streets of Little Italy. The production covered an area from Fir Street to Beech S treet, and from K ettner Boulevard to parts of S tate Street. "This annual gathering cele- brates and promotes artis tic innovation from every angle," stated Mayor Kevin Faulconer in the specialized magazine edition of Art Walk, "from the visual and performing arts to the culi- nary creativity of Little Italy's neighborhood." Restaurants, coffee houses and specialty food vendors were kept busy providing "culinary" s atis faction to the almos t uncountable crowds that visited Art Walk on both days of the event. Parking, as always in Little Italy, was filled to capacity in all parking lots, but visitors had a break with parking meters w hich w ere not in force on Sunday. Visitors parked away from the event and could be seen hiking toward it from all direc- tions. Although much emphasis was placed on visual arts, Kevin Hallman, Publisher of San Diego City Beat busily supplied the five available stages with per- forming mus icians on both S aturday and S unday from 11:00am until 6:00pm. Peter Kalivas, director of the PGK Dance Project awed dance enthusiasts with the performance of approximately 14 performing for the Dance on the Edge part of the Art Walk festivities. The outdoor urban setting on the streets of Little Italy gave this event a unique flavor. In addition to fine art from artists across the country and Mexico, the festival features of more than 30 music and dance performing groups, a special interactive art program for families and chil- dren was Artreach at KidsWalk. The program states that it has provided over 30,000 art-making opportunities for K-6 students throughout San Diego County. Although slight showers and brief drizzling spells were pre- sent on Saturday, visitors were not to be deterred as approxi- mately 50,000 visited the more than 350 visual and performing artists in the 15-block stretch of Little Italy, according to Events Manager, Michelle Danks. "We've had approximately 70,000 vis itors today," s aid Danks during the early afternoon of Sunday's activities. "We have approximately 25 business and sponsors, mostly non-profit who support us, and approximately 275 volunteers who help put this production together, she added. Danks said that the Art Walk was a "mas s ive production" that requires production throughout the year. She and her teams are currently working on produc- tions in J une, A ugus t and October. "We work closely with the Little Italy Association, help- ing them manage other events like the upcoming Taste of Italy event on June 17 th . Jodie Hulden, a San Diego artist presented her work of Fine Art Photographs, this being her third year in the Art Walk. She said she does better each year and thoroughly enjoys the show, ambiance and visiting art afi- cionados. Although she stated that getting into art shows is "a lot of work," she added that she ROBERT GALLO makes twice what she puts into each show. "I love the people I meet; people who love black and white photography and there is a lot of exposure for artists in shows like this," she said. "Art Walk is a wonderfully, cultural event; like being in Little Italy. I'm not sure who comes for the art, culture or the social aspect of the event, but I enjoy being here." Hulden's great grandfather was a Neapolitan, and like her heritage, she speaks Italian. "I love being around Italians and that gives me an opportunity to practice my Italian," said the artist. She attended San Diego S tate U nivers ity, w here s he received her degree in art. Red Carpet, a mixed media work of Christine Schwimmer, a local artist graced the cover of the Art Walk, the magazine pro- duced by San Diego's Union- Tribune. Although a native of Chicago, Schwimmer moved to California and has her studio in La Mesa. Her passion began as a child growing up in Chicago. She has pursued that passion by s tudying at the A thenaeum School of Arts in La Jolla and San Diego. She has also studied at the University of California at S an D iego, and The art Academy of San Diego. Jodie Hulden displaying her black and white photo of Presence Michelle Danks. Art Walk Events Manager

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