The Art Walk and Sale 2018 gets underway Friday, Aug. 10 in Williams Lake with a celebratory tour of about 15 of this year’s 60 participating venues.
Willie Dye, or perhaps better known as Arty the Art Walker, invites everyone to join the tour.
“We will start off at 11:30 a.m. at Ron Ridley Rentals,” Dye said as he was busy setting things up at Kintec by Cariboo Orthotics on First Avenue North Wednesday morning, one of the venues for the art walk.
Owner and pedorthist Alicia Fenn, said she was excited about having local artist Lynn Capling’s work in her business and looking forward to participating in Art Walk for the first time as she just opened up last October in Williams Lake.
Dye said Harry Jennings will be leading the opening walk this year.
“I’m hoping Mayor Walt Cobb and MLA Donna Barnett will be attending,” he added. “Donna Barnett always enjoys coming on the walk, but says she spends too much money buying art,” he said, chuckling.
2018 Art Walk will be bigger and better than last year, he promised.
“The merchants and artists like the fact we have not been interrupted by big wildfires this year.”
Read more: B.C. wildfires 2018: Fire crews battle blazes across the region
Artists participating in 2018 are coming from as far away north as Prince George and south from Australia.
“Harvey Elsworth Overton, who is from Williams Lake, lives in Australia now. He will be having art on display at Mulberry Lane,” Dye said.
Recalling how he became involved with Art Walk, Dye said he was a merchant when he was first approached to be involved.
“Laurie Walters ran it for a few years and then it didn’t happen. When the downtown business association took it over they asked me if I would like to have an artist featured and I said, ‘sure.’”
Because the experience was positive, Dye decided it was worthwhile and told the association he’d join the board if he could run Art Walk.
“That’s what happened and it’s doubled in size since then.”
Art Walk will run until Sept. 8 at 1:30 p.m. with opportunities for art walkers to see the artwork and make silent auction bids.
Artists featured in Art Walk and Sale 2018
Theresa Tanner, Rider Cheyne, Keith Prestone, Maeghan Watkinson, Bobbie Crane, Susan Colgate, Cary Burnett, Christy Richardson, Janet Bedford, Maureen Lebourdais, Aria MacInnis, Bill Fell, George Boyce, Eleanor Friesen, Izaria Bowe, Lynn Capling, Wendy Bernier, Lindsey Neufeld, Suzie Ambrose, Beatrix Linde, Amy Piquette, Brian Thorsteinson, Ida Eriksen, Jane Perry, Steve Harkies, Leonard Matte, Christine Wagner, Michelle Brown, Marieke Moore, Shelby Philpotts, Steve Roberts, Williams Lake Secondary Trash Art, Lynda Sawyer, Colleen Kielman, Brent Scott, Sue Alexander, Vera Lehar, Diane Kershaw, Anne Kohut, Marg Robertson, Linda Bachman, Sandra Fardal, Geoff Bourdon, Simone Buck, Reta Seibert, Dwayne Davis, Donnie Johnston, Marlene Pegg, Debbie Ogden-Wright, Kalie Cook, Johannes Hoelderl, Lesley Lloyd, Harvey Elsworth Overton, Debra Weir, Cheri Sinclair, Gladys Wheatley, Matthew Harras, Pat Taylor, Heidi Redl and Ice Fire Artifacts.
Bid sheets will be attached to every piece of art that is up for auction.
Successful bidders will be notified soon after the end of the auction by the artists.
There will also be Busking Festival Thursdays, sponsored by the Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society, providing a small fee for anyone wanting to busk — musicians, magicians or other forms of entertainment.
Anyone wanting more information on the busking is asked to contact Dye.
On Thursday, Aug. 23, there will be a special Artist Day, where people will have the opportunity to see several of the artists creating art on the streets of Williams Lake.
Dye also encourages people to check out the city’s several murals while taking in the Art Walk and Sale.
“We have over 15 murals in the downtown core,” he added.
Booklets for the Art Walk are available in the Friday edition of the Tribune/Weekend Advisor, at the Tribune office on First Avenue North and at all 60 participating venues.
Art walkers can vote for the People’s Choice Awards by dropping off completed entry forms, available in the booklets at any of the participating merchants.
Business hours of operation are displayed in the booklet.
news@wltribune.com
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