UMW students will help color Fredericksburg streets with art at the first annual Fredericksburg Via Colori festival Friday, September 24 through Sunday, September 26.
The event features street drawings in the centuries-old tradition of volunteer artists creating large-scale pastel artwork on the pavement of city streets. UMW studio and art majors, under the direction of Distinguished Professor of Art Joe DiBella. will focus on several key figures in the history of art.
More than 70 artists will paint large squares on Sophia and Charlotte streets, including world-renowned street painter Curtis Goldstein, who has been featured on the CBS Early Show. Painting will begin Saturday at 10 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m. on Sunday. Each square is sponsored by a business, organization or other entity and proceeds from the sponsorships will be used to support arts-based education in the community.
Via Colori also features performances by musicians, a children’s area, street vendors and roving entertainers. The event is free to the public.
Via Colori is co-sponsored by the University of Mary Washington Philharmonic Orchestra, which will perform at Dodd Auditorium in George Washington Hall during the Music Department’s Showcase concert on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The showcase is free and open to the public.
Via Colori was organized by the Fredericksburg Arts Commission, whose mission is to promote, expand and support the arts in the Fredericksburg region.
About Marty Morrison