San Diego's Original Fine Art Festival

Fact Sheet

Roster of 2012 Featured Artists:

Liz Abeyta
Rey Alfonso
Mario Cespedes
Patricia DeLeon
Chris Honeysett
Jon Koehler
Hasuyo Miller
Harold Pickern
Hugo Rivera
Susanne Slater
Mark Stephenson
Marcus Thesing

Year Founded: 1984

When: Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29 – 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days

Where: Little Italy neighborhood in San Diego, California. Event covers 17 blocks of city streets, closed to vehicular traffic for the event.

Art for display and sale: Paintings, sculpture, glasswork, photography, music, dance and entertainment.

Cost to attend: FREE

Activities for Families: KidsWalk provides more than 20 free interactive arts activities for kids including painting, performing arts, music and more.

Entertainment & Food: Five stages of live music and performing arts including “Dance on the Edge,” new for 2012, which features dozens of dancers on a dedicated stage. There are also terrific opportunities to enjoy Little Italy’s restaurants as well as street food offered at the Festival.

Sponsors: Mission Federal Credit Union is the title sponsor of the event along with Cymer, Scripps Health, the Union-Tribune, Thomas Jefferson School of Law and many more. In addition, the event has partnered with the Little Italy Association, the City of San Diego, the County of San Diego and the San Diego Visual Arts Network.

Attendees: 120,000 over the two-day event

Information: Website: www.missionfederalartwalk.org Twitter: @ArtWalkSD Facebook: ArtWalkSD

Story Ideas

Why buy original artwork? Who are San Diego’s art collectors?

Interview art buyers who attend the event to discover a new artist or add to their collection.

How to get your “big break” as an artist:

Interview participating artists who have ventured out of the corporate world to pursue their talents and passion as full-time artists.

How artwork can inspire a room design:

Interview interior designers on how they incorporate original artwork into their room designs.

Art across the border:

The Mexican Consulate brings together top artists from all over Mexico to showcase their art at the festival. Interview artists on how their work reflects culture, life and legends of Mexico.

The evolution of ArtWalk and arts in southern California:

Founded by artists 28 years ago, ArtWalk stands today as a nationally-recognized festival in San Diego.

A gallery’s perspective:

Prominent galleries have begun to join in as exhibitors at ArtWalk. Interview gallery owners about why they are seeking this unique form of exposure with San Diego art buyers.

Dance—the fastest-rising form of live performance art:

In recent years, the popularity of dance in all forms and styles has resulted in an increasing number of live performances, including reality TV dance-off competitions. For the first time, ArtWalk is featuring a stage entirely devoted to this form of performance art entitled “Dance on Edge.” Choreographer Peter Kalivas gives you the scoop on what to expect from this year’s dance participants.

Promoting the arts in San Diego schools:

ArtWalk and ArtReach, the non-profit founded by their principles, are committed to promoting the arts in San Diego schools. Representatives from both entities, as well as from Mission Federal Credit Union, are available to talk about their involvement and commitment to fostering an interest, love and appreciation for art amongst younger generations.