The iconic Ventura Harbor Village will once again serve as the seaside backdrop for the 8^th annual Ventura Art & Street Painting Festival to benefit FOOD Share, Ventura County’s regional food bank.  On Saturday, Sept. 10 and Sunday ,Sep. 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the waterfront promenade will be transformed into a working street art gallery and fine artisan marketplace.  The non-profit event which has donated over $32,000 to FOOD Share since 2011, is the only street painting festival in Ventura County and draws artists from across Southern California.

Considered by many to be a performance art, street painting draws attendees into the creation of the work by allowing them to experience the process with the artist as they paint.  The Ventura Art & Street Painting Festival will feature 40 such chalk artists creating vivid “living” murals overlooking the docks.  50 fine artisan vendors such as painters, photographers, jewelry makers, potters and craft designers will also be displaying and selling their works throughout the weekend.

“People will be amazed at what they see on the sidewalk,” said Barbara Hinton, Founder and Executive Director of the festival.  “It is rare that the public sees the creative process take place, but at this event they get to be part of it.  Families can really make a whole day out at this event; watching the chalk artists, browsing the various booths, buying art and even taking a walk on the beach.”

Award winning chalk artist, Willie Zin, will make his return to the Ventura Art & Street Painting Festival to share his love of chalk drawings with event attendees.  Zin’s passion for street painting began in early 2009 when he stumbled upon the medium while browsing the internet.  For the last seven years, he has attended a number of street painting events and has been a Featured Artist at several festivals while earning numerous awards, including Best In Show.

Kids will also get a chance to show off their talent by creating beautiful works of art.  With the purchase of a box of chalk, each child will receive a 2’x2’ square to create their own masterpieces and the proceeds will be donated to charity. A limited number of chalk art squares are available for sponsorship by companies or individuals and will feature the sponsor’s name. Sponsorships can be purchased through Ventura County Art Events, which hosts the festival.

The Ventura Harbor Village has free admission, complimentary parking, and over 30 seaside restaurants and boutiques, a new waterfront coffee house, and several local artist galleries to enjoy during the two-day festival.  For artist application or sponsorship information, please contact Executive Director Barbara Hinton at (805) 650-9858 or visit venturaartfestival.com.

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About FOOD Share:

More than 35 years ago, eight citizens performed a good deed by distributing food to those who were in need underneath a Ventura bridge. The early philanthropic movement quickly formed into what is now Ventura County’s regional food bank, FOOD Share, which has grown from serving a few hundred hungry people per month to 74,500 people. Today, staff and volunteers distribute more than 12 million pounds of food annually from two warehouses; more than 200 partner agencies, which include neighborhood and church food distributions and soup kitchens; as well as hunger assistance programs. FOOD Share’s programs provide healthy nutrition and education to children, families and seniors, which include: Kids’ Farmers Market, SENIOR Share, Nutrition Education, Community Market, SoCal Gas CARE Program and more. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, FOOD Share is a member of the Feeding America network, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization.

In 2016, FOOD Share is rallying the community behind a viral initiative encouraging the public, local businesses, major corporations and community leaders and stakeholders to help combat hunger through an outreach campaign called Share16. The Share16 Challenge asks the community to share ways in which they support FOOD Share by documenting their experiences and efforts on social media with the #Share16 hashtag.

For more information about FOOD Share, visit www.foodshare.com. Find us on Facebook and Twitter.