University of Mary Washington students with a penchant for the arts helped transform a downtown city street into a temporary art gallery at the first annual Fredericksburg Via Colori Festival. They were among about 75 artists who registered for the community event organized by the Fredericksburg Arts Commission.
Pastels in their hands, students worked in two-hour shifts on Saturday, September 25 to transform a 10-by-10-foot square of Charlotte Street from black pavement to a colorful creation that incorporated multiple masterpieces within a single frame.
Under the direction of Distinguished Professor of Art Joe Di Bella, 25 students signed on to decorate the pavement with excerpts from works by notable artists such as Johannes Vermeer, Vincent Van Gogh and Andy Warhol. Students Hilary Galbreaith, Maggie Tanner, Maria Galuszka and Lauren Gottschlich portrayed excerpts from works by notable artists during a brainstorming session before the festival.
A research paper Ashleigh Buyers wrote on international street painter Kurt Wenner inspired her to participate in Via Colori. She was one of the first students who signed up for the event.
“It’s a really good experience for a budding artist,” said Buyers. “What’s really nice about our work is how we’re commemorating the artists we hold in high esteem.”
Surrounded by computer generated drafts and pencil sketches of their image, students spread themselves throughout their grid and paid careful attention to line, shape and form as they transferred their creation from one canvas to another.
“I was very impressed with the cooperative and community spirit of the students who participated in Via Colori,” said Di Bella. “They were actively involved and genuinely interested in the process of realizing the complex image we planned to undertake. We all had a most enjoyable time working together as a team.”
Via Colori was co-sponsored by the UMW Philharmonic Orchestra. Each square was sponsored by a business, organization or other entity, and proceeds from the sponsorships will be used to support arts-based education in the community.