GAINESVILLE, Ga. (March 23, 2023) – April is just around the corner, which means Main Street Gainesville’s inaugural Art Walk is only weeks away.
Slated for 4-8 p.m. Thursday, April 20, in the area of Gainesville's historic square, this event will enable attendees to experience the City’s vast creative culture while they discover local artists, local galleries and pop-up art shows in various downtown business storefronts. This free event offers you the opportunity to buy original art, dine in outstanding restaurants and shop in unique boutiques.
“Main Street Gainesville wanted to promote the downtown arts community and see an event take place throughout the entire historic district, which includes historic Green Street, downtown and Midland areas of town,” said Main Street Manager Nicole Parham. “After sharing thoughts with many of our Gainesville art leaders, we were able to gather a group together including those from The Arts Council, Quinlan Visual Arts Center, Celestial Studios, Gallery on the Square, Brenau Galleries and Purple House Gallery. We decided we wanted to try something new, something that would get citizens exploring various parts of town, would expose the community to both local artists and local galleries, plus local businesses. We wanted a 'hop'-style event where it wasn't a festival or something where we had to close roads to host it. All of those ideas led to the Art Walk!
“Our hope is to see the community enjoy the impressive local art scene in Gainesville, for restaurants and retailers in the historic district to have increased foot traffic throughout the night, and for artists to have the opportunity to sell their original art,” she said. “We hope it's a win for everyone involved!”
While the main event falls on April 20, Parham said businesses and galleries have the option to feature artwork through the weekend, “so we're encouraging citizens to review the website to see what other dates they can visit galleries if they can't attend Thursday's main event.” Balloons will be placed outside storefronts to aid visitors in finding participating businesses.
“We will have around 15 businesses and galleries hosting approximately 25 local artists!” she said. “You can see the current full list by visiting the map on the website: https://www.exploregainesville.org/art-walk/.”
Parham said an impressive collection of original artwork will be available for purchase, including a variety of abstracts, portraits and landscapes in various mediums – oil paints, pastels, chalk, pencil, photography and more.
“Even more than just displaying art for purchase, artists will be available for meet-and-greets and will perform live demonstrations,” she said.
Parham said refreshments, downtown dining specials and live music will be tucked into corners to create a fun atmosphere for the community as they explore the various art stops, all in an effort to promote dining and shopping in downtown Gainesville.
“We'd love to see 500-1,000 people explore all of the galleries and businesses hosting artists, for all downtown businesses to have a boost in sales as people stop in to shop and eat along the way, and for local artists to leave having more patrons,” she said.
With highlighted destinations scattered across the historic district, to make getting from point A to point B easier, Parham said the Gainesville Trolley will be running and waiting to transport passengers between stops.
“Since the event will take place in historic Gainesville, which includes historic Green Street, downtown and Midland areas of Gainesville, the trolleys will be making rotations through each district so it will be easier to navigate to each area of town,” she said. “As we get closer to the event, we'll provide a suggested visitation route for guests so they can more easily enjoy getting around.”
As Main Street Gainesville's goal is to foster a vibrant community in the historic district of Gainesville, Parham is excited as the Art Walk accomplishes just that.
“It's a showcase of local artists in local businesses and offers our citizens and visitors alike a fun night out on the town exploring!” she said.
Find free and covered parking at any one of the following downtown parking decks, all located within walking distance to the historic square: Main Street Parking Deck, 301 Main St.; Gainesville North Parking Deck, 100 Brenau Ave.; and Hall County Parking Facility, 225 Green St.
For more information and updates, “Like” and follow @DowntownGainesvilleGA on Facebook or visit https://www.exploregainesville.org/art-walk/.
