Children's Creative Project

Children’s Creative Project (CCP) is a nonprofit arts education program under the Santa Barbara County Education Office, dedicated to enriching the lives of 50,000 children annually across more than 100 schools in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. Through comprehensive visual and performing arts workshops and performances, CCP inspires creativity, curiosity, and a lifelong appreciation for the arts. A cornerstone of our community engagement is the annual Memorial Day weekend I Madonnari festival, CCP’s signature fundraising event. During this cherished celebration, street painters transform the historic Mission plaza into an outdoor gallery of 150 large-scale, colorful pastel masterpieces. We are proud to be the first organization to bring this romantic tradition from our sister festival in Grazie di Curtatone, Italy, to the western hemisphere. The funds raised through I Madonnari help sustain CCP’s mission of providing quality arts education for all.