Cultural Festival Draws Kids Into Art

Her crimson lips forming a bright smile, Snow White held out her arms as two squealing girls charged full speed into her heavy royal blue and yellow dress.

“I saw your movie, Snow White,” said an elated 8-year-old RachalLopez. “You were in it, and so were the seven dwarfs.”

“Me too, I saw it too!” 5-year-old Maritza Hernandez, Rachal’s stepsister, chimed in. “And I didn’t like the ugly witch who gave you the apple.”

The Oxnard sisters said meeting Snow White was the highlight of the 18th annual Children’s International Arts Festival on Saturday. The free event, held at Mission Park in Ventura, drew an estimated 7,000 people.

In addition to storybook characters such as Snow White (played by Newbury Park resident Julia Lees-Smith) and Alice in Wonderland, the event featured crafts and entertainment representing countries from around the globe.

While Irish folk dancers and musicians performed on a stage, 17 booths set up on the grass invited children to create elaborate Czechoslovakian beaded bracelets, Mexican paper flowers, Egyptian hieroglyphics and Russian lacquer pins.

At one booth, 6-year-old Kyle McAllister’s small fingers were busy braiding yarn to make arms for a yarn doll. After several minutes, he held up a doll with lopsided arms.

“I know how to braid, I learned in school,” said the Ventura kindergartner. “I’m just no good at it.”

“It’s a nice job, look at that,” said Kyle’s mother, Cindy, 31, as she placed the doll in a brown bag filled with other crafts created by her son, including a rainbow pinwheel, paper flower and a Guatemalan friendship bracelet made of string.

Georgeanne Lees, a Ventura Cultural Affairs supervisor who helped organize the festival, said the event culminated an eight-week outreach program at Ventura elementary schools. Over the past eight weeks, city-hired professional artists presented workshops to local elementary students.

The city’s Cultural Affairs Division spent about $17,000 to conduct the workshops and hold the festival, Lees said. Local businesses also sponsored the event, which included food booths.

Lupe Lopez, 29, sat at a booth with her fidgety 3-year-old son, Mark Hernandez, making Mexican art out of yarn and Popsicle sticks called El Ojo de Dios, or “The Eye of God.”

“I love it,” Lopez said. “Here, adults can be kids, too.”