Artists and art enthusiasts alike gathered together to take part in the 26th Annual Street Painting Festival in Downtown Lake Worth on February 22nd and 23rd. Now considered one of the most anticipated events in South Florida, the festival featured over 600 artists and drew in 100,000 onlookers. Some of our students from the Visual Arts Academy attended, supervised by photography teacher Ms. Ardner and drawing teacher Mrs. Houssein.
Junior Trinity Macaluso said, “This was my second year doing the street painting festival, and I really do look forward to it. It’s so much better doing it with a group of friends, and the process becomes the best part.” She, paired with friends Nicole Enamorado, Naonie Phanord, and Nafiah Choudhury created an art piece which she describes as “vaguely fantastical” and wanted it to “convey an air of whimsicality.”
The festival was an outlet for creative students to show off their unique talents outside of school. To begin, the artists painted their allotted area either white or black as a base. Once dried, a chalk line was used to make a grid on the canvas, which is used as the guidelines. After that, the artists were able to get straight to work, collaborating to create their asphalt masterpieces.
Weather conditions made the process a bit difficult, however. Fortunately, it was nothing more than a light drizzle periodically throughout the day. Artists dashed left and right, desperately trying to find a tarp to protect their work before they found shade for themselves.
Besides the artwork, attractions also included food and snacks that catered to nearly everyone. Street vendors at every corner provided everything from pizzas to snowcones to arepas. Artists took advantage of the vendors in closest proximity to take breaks from the strains of working on the ground and under the scorching sun.
Junior Nicole Enamorado commented, “It was hot at times and it gave me a major headache since we were ultimately under the sun for around six hours, but my friends made sure that I felt alright and they reminded me that it was okay to take a break if I needed one, which I greatly appreciated. It brought us all closer in my opinion and gave me nice, wholesome memories to look back on.”
Hitches in the road are all part of the creative process. Everything contributed to the makings of a good day under the sun which will stay with the artists until they can go back to the festival next year.
