I have attended my fair share of art walks in the past. I have to admit I didn’t have super high expectations for the Longview Art Walk. It was so hot that day and I honestly did not have a good grasp on how many artists are thriving in a relatively small town. I’m happy to say that Longview completely nailed it and I’m impressed with how they pulled it off. The first issue for me was the heat. Who wants to walk up and down on hot concrete streets when it’s easily 94 degrees outside after 5 p.m.? Not this girl.
Rather than set up what one may consider a traditional art walk, local businesses got involved to host several artists INSIDE. With air conditioning. What a concept! Not only was it great for the artists to have a cool space to display their artwork without seeing the paint melt off their pieces, but local businesses benefited as well. It was a total win-win. I stopped in several shops that I would have normally passed by and ended up discovering some great little gems. State of Mind Boutique – I’m looking at you!
The art walk meandered around downtown and we visited a very quaint little grassy area with multiple sculptures called, The Pelaia Plaza JT Smith Sculpture Garden. Artists set up in the shade and there was some live music to enjoy. You could have easily brought a picnic and it was a nice spot to let the kids burn off some energy. The artists were generally very friendly and I ended up purchasing a couple prints that mean so much more to me because I got to meet the artist behind them. This was definitely a family friendly event with a little something for everyone like snow cones for the kids and craft beer from Oil Horse Brewing or coffee from Silver Grizzly.
The art walk happens 4 times a year with the next event on October 10th. Don’t miss the art walk on December 12 because you will definitely get some holiday shopping knocked out. The event starts at 5 p.m. and ends at 8 p.m. Follow the Facebook page @artwalklongview for more detailed information about specific artists and an easy to follow map. With over 60 artists participating the event did an excellent job of showcasing different styles, genres and it’s free to attend.
