Bakersfield Museum of Art’s annual Via Arté Italian Street Painting Festival has become a Bakersfield tradition, bringing together the community and the visual arts since 1998. Using the asphalt as canvas, spectators watch each year as artists unlock their imaginations and turn the parking lot of the Marketplace into a gallery of amazing chalk masterpieces.

This family-friendly event allows visitors to create their own masterpiece! Hundreds of children (and adults) participate each year in our Via Bambino area, showcasing their talents and trying their hand at the ancient art of street painting.