Street Fashion in Somerville

One of Festa's paintings, "Go B's, Yo" | Photo courtesy of Alene Bouranova
One of Festa’s mixed media paintings, “Go B’s, Yo” | Photo courtesy of Alene Bouranova

Local artist Danielle Festa, 28, displayed her newest work in Somerville’s Union Square on Saturday.

The event, Who are you Wearing?, was an exhibit of Festa’s newest mixed media paintings. The exhibit featured 20 paintings of people in their street clothes with splashes of fabric added for texture.

The exhibit was meant to capture the range of fashion in Union Square; the paintings pictured passersby in everything from suit vests and tailored jackets to Bruins gear and bro tanks.

To make her paintings, Festa usually takes photos of passersby and then recreates the images with oil paints and fabric matching the style of her subjects’ clothes. For the most part, the photos are candid. Laughing, Festa says, “My lawyer says it’s okay if they’re in public.”

However, Festa decided to try a different approach when she received a grant from the Somerville Arts Council in May. With her grant, she decided to set up a red carpet in Union Square where anyone could pose for a picture and be turned into art. By inviting anyone to pose for her, Festa got a chance to interact with the people of Somerville and discover the meaning behind their outfits. Eight of the paintings displayed were from the red carpet photo shoot.

For Festa, her paintings are all about celebrating the diversity of fashion. “Some people wear clothes to fit in, and some people wear clothes to stand out,” she says. “There’s just so much to capture.”

Festa works out of her studio on Washington Street in Somerville.

To see more of Festa’s work, check out her website! You can also find her on Turning Art and Twitter.

About Alene Bouranova

Alene Bouranova (COM '16) is a Journalism major from Seattle, WA. She loves exploring Boston and enjoys the simple things in life like Pinterest, Netflix, and bagels.

View all posts by Alene Bouranova →

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