About

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Luna Parks Arts Foundation provides free and low cost opportunities for the community to come together to participate in creative projects.

The projects include the annual Luna Park Chalk Art Festival, interactive workshops at schools, libraries and parks, and interactive chalk art at local events.

We raise money to provide grants to K-12 visual and performing arts programs in local schools and nonprofit youth programs, as well as stipend opportunities for local artists.

We operate entirely by volunteers and bring together artists, students, teachers and neighbors to make it happen.

We believe that everyone should have opportunities to:

Create
Learn about the arts
Interact with their community

Mission Statement and Vision

The Mission of the Luna Park Arts Foundation (LPAF) is to:

Provide inclusive, participatory, arts events that support artists, educators, students and community members.
Support youth arts programs in schools and nonprofit organizations through our workshops, events and grants.
Activate community spaces in the Luna Park Business District, the Northside Neighborhood, and the surrounding neighborhoods.

History

The Luna Park Chalk Art Festival originated in 2008 from an idea submitted to the North 13th Street Luna Park Business District in Downtown San Jose. The idea was to hold a festival in the district’s neighborhood Backesto Park to celebrate its cultural and historical background through the arts. The festival was named after the historic baseball and amusement park that once brought visitors from all over California to the North 13th Street for a variety of family festivities in the early 1900s.

The festival is a means of reviving and celebrating this historical park’s legacy by bringing families from all over California to this beautiful park.

In 2012, the management for the festival was transferred from the North 13th Business District Association to a newly formed organization, the Luna Park Arts Foundation, in order for the festival to better serve its mission. The Luna Park Arts Foundation is a 501(c) 3 non-profit. The festival committee is still dedicated to supporting the North 13th Street Business District and many business association members are still a part of the current festival committee.