Business & Tech
Local Students Are Painting the Town For the Holidays
Artists from Madison High and Drew use imagination to decorate local shop windows,
and students will be working downtown this weekend, painting shop windows for the holiday season.
The 40 volunteer artists are participating in a joint venture with the Madison Chamber of Commerce and the Madison Arts and Culture Alliance (MACA) in a bid to encourage window shopping and the holiday spirit.
Judy Mullins, the program’s volunteer coordinator and owner of restaurant on Waverly Place, said there has been a “big growth in the program,“ since its inception four years ago. “The target is to be finished by the Holiday Festival on the 25th.“ About 25 businesses have signed up for the decorating.
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Volunteer coordinator for the high school, Mark DeBiasse and art teacher Kathryn Cimis-DeBiasse are responsible for the project at the high school. There are more volunteer artists this year than ever. They are given paints, brushes and other products and left alone with their imagination to decorate the windows.
Friday evening at dusk found three sophomores, Victoria Worthington, Mia Raho and Alise Bassolino, painting an evergreen border around the picture window at Coccia Realty on Main Sreet.
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“It’s lots of fun,” said Raho, standing on a ladder as she painted the top of the window. Worthington said she had recruited her two friends and the three of them had hot chocolate set aside to keep them warm.
Other students participating are Emily Gargiulo, Madeline Hines, Tatyana Frid, Kristi Burgess, Leah O'Gorman, Brendan Flanaagan, Samantha White, Jamie Kim, Carrie Klein, Kelsey Dyer, Ari Goret, Katherine Gotsch, Hunter Matthews, Emma Tagariello, Ryan Stevens, Brian Lang, Mackie Goodwin, Kyle Smith, Michas Scacillo, Amanda D'Addario, Lauren Ruffo, Tara Duffy, Layton Lassiter, Emily Halker, Kelly Colby, Selena Fennimore, Jack Kenny, Brandon Friebur, Valeria Marin, Kelsey Koppenol, Grace Patke, Laney Rutland, Jiho Kim, Meg Calcaterra, Holly Claytor, Katy Costikyan, Olivia Alexander, Mackenzie McClay, Colette Monod, Samantha Spelker, and Caroline McCabe.
The Christmas Parade in downtown Madison will take place the day after Thanksgiving starting around 5 p.m. The hope is that all the windows will be finished by the time the crowds fill the streets that evening.
