Summerlin prepares for art festival

La Strada dell' Arte, a Summerlin street-painting festival adopted from Italian tradition, and Celebration of the Arts, an outdoor art festival, will present a cultural arts experience next weekend.

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, artists of all ages will transform Summerlin Centre Community Park into an outdoor gallery of colorful art, using the park's sidewalks as their canvas during the third annual La Strada dell' Arte. The public will have the opportunity to create their own masterpieces for $2 per square.

Guest artist Julie Kirk of Chino, Calif., will be featured for the second consecutive year. Kirk is a street painter who has worked for Disney Entertainment, Lexus Corp. and Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific.

Celebration of the Arts, now in its 11th year, will feature artwork for sale. About 200 artisans will present paintings, glasswork, pottery, jewelry, metalwork, sculpture, mixed media, apparel, handmade soaps, handcrafted dolls and woodcrafts.

According to Kristi Overgaard, vice president of marketing for The Howard Hughes Corp., developer of Summerlin, this event underscores the developer's commitment to creating quality of life.

"A community rich in culture celebrates diversity, promotes lifelong learning and improves social relationships," Overgaard said.

The celebration also will include specialty foods, a children's art activity area, musical performances by Nevada School of the Arts and art demonstrations.

The event is underwritten by Summerlin and Hughes Corp. with a portion of the proceeds benefiting art programs in Summerlin schools.

The park is located on Town Center Drive, south of Charleston Boulevard.

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