On Oct. 19, through the 20, the Bakersfield Museum of Art, held the 26, annual Via Arte Italian Street Painting Festival at The Marketplace. Not only were the good vibes high but the creative spirit was too. People of all ages attended to support artists and compete in the festival.

Many of the art pieces were either based off their own ideas or other famous art pieces. The Marketplace parking lot looked like it was hit by a rainbow chalk dust storm because of how many art pieces were drawn.

Emily Loyd, a long time participate shared how Via Arte has major impact on her life. “This is my ninth year working solo. I had participatied in Via Arte for twelve years with my dad, because he had been in every event. Everything I have learned about art is though my dad and I’ve been doing art since I was five years old,” said Loyd.

“Also, this is my first year being sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club because I am an art teacher there as well. I am so excited to show my kids the final look.”

Via Arte not only allowed people to use their love for art, but also compete head-to-head against other artists and high schools in the Bakersfield area. Many high school art students came together to create beautiful and very impressive artwork.

“We’ve been here since nine in the morning. As you could tell we are literally covered head to toe in chalk working on our drawing and we still have a long way to go. Not going to lie we are so tired, but we still have a long way to go. But once we finish, all our hard work will pay off at the end,” said Stockdale High School art students Faye Pabion (Junior) and Joya Hassain (Senior), who competed in the Via Arte.

Via Arte is one of the few events here in Bakersfield that allow creative freedom to be celebrated and showcased to others in the community. Everybody who participated left their mark and made it known that their art has an importance in their lives.