By DELANIA TRIGG, Register Staff Writer
The Gainesville Main Street Association and local downtown merchants are set to sponsor the city’s first Art Walk from 5-8 p.m., Thursday.
Art Walk is a new event for the city.
It features art exhibitions in downtown businesses.
“Local artists will exhibit their work in shops and stores. Some merchants will provide snacks and refreshments such as wine and cheese. Visitors can look at the art, some of which is for sale. Other items will be on exhibit,” said Main Street spokeswoman Lynette Pettigrew.
The artists will also be on hand to discuss their work with guests.
Eleven businesses plan to take part in Art Walk including Paige Davidson Studio, Filly Kisses, Otts Furniture, Bella Matiz, Anana’s, Wiese’s, Sweet Thangs, Amelia’s Attic, B Hive, the Morton Museum and Kinne’s Jewelers.
Featured artists are from the Cooke County/North Texas area, but the organization hopes to attract artists from other nearby areas.
“We’re hoping to have other artists from the Denton County area. We also have some artists in Montague who may become involved in Art Walk,” she said.
Pettigrew said visitors don’t have to follow a specific itinerary.
“You don’t necessarily have to start at one spot and end in another,” she noted. “The idea behind it is that it’s a 5-8 p.m. evening event. It’s a good time to get out, enjoy the exhibitions and maybe stop at a downtown restaurant before going home.”
Main Street is planning to hold four Art Walk events per year.
“This will be a quarterly event held during the first month of the quarter, on the last Thursday of the month,” Pettigrew noted.
Participating artists are not limited to any one medium or genre.
“There will be everything from landscapes to African and western art, and that’s just this time around,” she noted.
The Art Walk is a natural progression for downtown Gainesville.
Many local downtown merchants are also artists, Pettigrew said.
“Filly Kisses has an art gallery with a huge variety of western art that is open all the time. Paige Davidson of Paige Davidson Studios is an artist in her own right. Gina Dill, of Kinne’s Jewelers, casts her own jewelry. Tony Avilla of Anana’s is a photographer who is exhibiting some of his work,” she said.
Art Walk is apparently something the association has yearned to try for some time.
“This project is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time. We want to be able to exhibit local artists’ work and have the public come out and support both the artists and the downtown area,” she said.
According to Pettigrew, Art Walk is good Thursday night fare.
“I know it’s wintertime, but it’s a great time to get out and enjoy an Thursday evening,” she said.
Additional Art Walk events are set for April 29, July 29 and October 28.
