PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Da Vinci Fest Live may be an inaugural event for the Da Vinci Art Alliance (DVAA), but the nonprofit has a history in South Philadelphia.
“For 88 years, our organization has focused really insularly, we’ve been really focused on just our artist members (but) that work has really grown over the last couple of years,” said Jarrod Markman, executive director of DVAA.
The nonprofit was formed by a group of Italian immigrants who wanted to create art together. Now, the organization has a growing number of artists all from the Philadelphia area.
“All of our members are a part of the organization and in this festival, all are local artists. We’re very proud to support all local artists through their career and through exhibition opportunities,” said Markman.
There’s virtual and in-person events run from Oct. 22 to Oct. 29.
The festival kicks off with a competitive Derby race on Thursday. There’s also an art market and a new mural to showcase.
Markman said DVAA knew they wanted to do a festival because they want to share their work with the community.
“We felt we’ve really created a vibrant community of creators and we wanted to find a way to share what we’ve created in our building with the general public,” he said.