I' Madonnari

Chalk one up for the Guild

Memorial Day weekend was the 14th year for I Madonnari, the Italian Street Painting Festival that helps support the Children's Creative Project, a nonprofit arts education program of the County Education Office.  The project sponsors fine arts programs in the schools for a total of 66,000 children. 

Coastal Quilters participated this year for the first time. Marlene Pearson, a member of our guild, has been quilting for over twenty years and has a background in mural art. She did the chalking in red, white and blue with the help of 3 high school students and an experienced artist (Mark Bright, pictured). The result was a beautiful quilt design, a combination of Shoo-Fly and Bird of Paradise blocks. 

She was influenced by Joan Wolfrom's recent workshop, "Marriage of Blocks."  It was a wonderful opportunity for the community at large to become aware of our guild as many viewers commented on their connections to quilts. A visitor from England stopped by and introduced herself as a quilter. The kinship of quilters is truely international.