The Williams Lake Art Walk will be back in 2022 from August 13 to September 7, 2022.
The event will again be scaled back, similar to last year, which had been downsized due to the pandemic.
Downtown Williams Lake BIA executive director Sherry Yonkman said the feedback after last year’s art walk from participants was they liked the smaller format and being able to complete the walk in one go.
While the art walk has been in existance since 1999, the Downtown Williams Lake BIA has only been running it since 2010.
Last year the art walk featured 31 artists in 30 different businesses and over 1,000 guidebooks were given out to viewing public.
On April 1, the forms were put out on the Downtown Williams Lake BIA website to apply to participate as an artist or a business in this year’s event.
Artists send in a bio and photos of their art work with the form and if they are accepted, pay $75 to participate.
Businesses fill out a form to participate and describe their business and the space they have to display any art. The fee for businesses to participate is $175 dollars.
Yonman said businesses receive good exposure through the art walk, and get people through their business who may otherwise not have come through their doors.
Once the applications are received, the best matches for the type of art and business are matched up and the artists and businesses work together to display the art in each business and determine whether sales would take place through the business while the art is on display.
The Downtown Williams Lake BIA puts together a guidebook for the public to participate in the art walk, and it is free to participate as a patron.
As each business and artist is visited, the guidebook gets stamped as a passport, which then can be entered into a draw for a $500 gift certifcate for the participant’s favourite artist to purchase some of the artist’s work.
Last year, the Downtown Williams Lake BIA hosted an opening event for the art walk, and this year, they hope to once again hold an event or two in concert with the art walk display period.
The planning for this part of the art walk is only just beginning, as Kathy Vilkas begins her role as the new events coordinator.
Go to downtownwilliamslake.com > Things to Do > Events > Art Walk to apply. The deadline for artist applications is May 5 and the deadline for business participants is May 15.
Read more: Downtown Williams Lake hires new executive director
Read more: Williams Lake Art Walk to feature 32 artists at 31 locations
ruth.lloyd@wltribune.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on X
