A lot of people in town probably all walk around downtown before, during or after an art walk. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are a lot of things you can do before, during and after an art walk to make the most of your time in town.
Buy a hot chocolate at one of the cafes on 3rd Street. Get a beer at O’Briens. Take a selfie with the giant Mike Luba sculpture in front of the library. Rub the nose of the dog statue on 4th Street. Check out the new mural on 6th Street, near The Bernalillo County Library’s Central Branch.
The list goes on and on, because there is more to do in town than just go to an art walk. So stop waiting for someone else to tell you what to do and get out there and enjoy yourself!
Art walks are fun, but they don’t have to be all you do before going home for dinner. Here’s a list of ideas for things you can do while waiting for an art walk to start:
Get some food from a food truck or restaurant downtown . Go shopping . You can find anything from clothes to books downtown . Look at architecture . There are some beautiful buildings downtown . Get some ice
Art walks can be a great way to discover new things and meet with other artists and art appreciators. The following are some tips on how you can make the most of an art walk.
How to prepare for an art walk:
1) Make sure you have business cards: You never know when you will meet an interesting person who may need your services.
2) Make yourself available for any clients that may come your way: If someone wants to commission you for a piece, it is best that you are around in case they want to talk further about the details of the piece.
3) Make sure you know where the next art walk is so that you can make plans accordingly: Many artists choose this time to set up a booth at these events. They are also great places to network, make contacts, and even find work.
4) Plan ahead for your next event: This means making sure you have room in your schedule to create more pieces or plan future art shows.
5) Get your name out there as much as possible: Send out press releases to local papers, put notices on social media sites, contact local news outlets, and talk about your current exhibit with everyone you know.
6) Take pictures of your artwork before the event begins
Art Walks are a fun way to meet people and check out local artists.
I can’t make it but I want to go. Where do I go?
You’ll want to visit the Art Walk website for that event to see what’s going on and where.
Where is the best place to park?
There are two parking garages in the downtown area, one near the intersection of State St. and Central Ave. and another at the corner of 4th Ave. & Roosevelt St. The parking rates vary by time of day, so check out their websites before you head out!
*Note: During art walk hours, street parking is free; however, there may be some areas that have limited spaces during an event, so give yourself some extra time or try using a garage if you can! You don’t want to miss out on all of the fun when you’re circling around looking for a spot!
The Art Walk
Art walks are a great way to see art, meet artists and other art enthusiasts and have a fun time. The following tips will help you make the most of your experience during an art walk.
Art is not just one type of thing!
You might be wondering, “I’m on my way for an art walk but what will I see?” There is a lot of different types of art to see in Las Vegas. You will get to see paintings, photography, sculpture and many other types of artistic expressions. You can also meet some really amazing artists that you might never have the chance to meet otherwise.
Know Where the Art Walk Happens
Different cities host their own art walking tours. Make sure you know where the walk is happening before you go out so that you can plan accordingly. For example, in New York City the East Village Art Walk happens every month at the beginning of the month. It lasts all day long starting at noon until 10pm. If you want more information about this event or any others in New York City visit www.nycgo.com/calendar/east-village-art-walk-2016 .
What Time is Best?
If it’s your first time going to an art walk,
If you’re on a budget, you can sign up to receive an email each week that will give you all of the information you need. If you want to go to as many art walks as possible, the best thing is to sign up for the newsletter and then keep track of which art walk is happening near you each month.
This is much easier than it used to be thanks to the Internet. You can make lists of art walks and quickly find out if there are any that are happening in your city next month or any that are coming up in other cities. It doesn’t matter if there aren’t any nearby; all it takes is a little bit of planning, and you can make sure that you get to every art walk that’s taking place in your area, or even travel an hour or two away for good ones.
The more time you spend at art walks, the more money you’ll save. You’ll also have a lot more fun than if you don’t ever go!
To be perfectly honest, I didn’t even know what an art walk was until a few months ago. Having lived in Venice Beach, California and Downtown Los Angeles as a young adult, I had long known that there were many galleries but it never occurred to me that these galleries were worth visiting.
As it turns out, the event of an art walk is an event during which local galleries open their doors to the public after hours. The patrons are able to visit many galleries at once without having to worry about whether or not they are open on Sundays or weeknights. For the artists and gallery owners, this means that more people are able to see their work in one evening than would normally be the case. So everyone wins right?
Wrong. Artists and gallery owners who choose to participate in art walks are required to pay a fee for the privilege of showing their work during this event. This fee varies from gallery to gallery (sometimes in price and sometimes in terms of the amount of work expected) but most figure that they will be able to recoup their investment by selling more art than they otherwise would have been able to do.
For me, this presents a problem because I am dedicated to being an “ethical consumer.” By this I mean that I want my
If you’re a local artist, then you are about to be the lucky winner of a brand new audience for your work. Art walks are all about the art, but what do you need to know if you’re one of the artists who’s participating?
Artists, here are some tips to help make your art walk experience all it can be:
1. Make your work stand out.
Art walks are crowded and noisy, so it’s that much harder for people to stop and see what you have on display. Be sure to bring artwork that’s striking, engaging and interesting.
If you’ve ever been around an art gallery before, then the kind of stuff they put up is perfect for this situation. If not, visit a gallery or two and see what they have on display. You’ll get a feel for the kind of artwork that’s popular in these situations.
2. Bring business cards.
This is one of those things that seems silly in normal life, but will make a big difference here. People will want to know where your studio is located so they can come back and see more of your work (or maybe even buy something) later on. So be sure that you have cards available so that people can track down your website or email
