Artists, musicians, street performers, and more
BRUNSWICK — Downtown Brunswick will sport a festive atmosphere for all ages as Five Rivers Arts Alliance offers Second Friday ArtWalks from 5-8 p.m. May 9 through Oct. 9. Each ArtWalk will feature artists exhibiting in multiple venues with opening receptions and new exhibits each month, along with more than 25 musicians and a variety of street entertainers.
Spindleworks and The Woodside One Wheelers will kick off ArtWalk entertainment at 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 9. The All Species Parade, a Spindleworks event now in its fifth year, will start at Green Street, proceeding down Maine Street to Bank, Federal, and School streets, returning to Green. Anyone may participate in the parade which draws several hundred participants, said Elizabeth McGhee, executive director of Spindleworks. Its gallery at 7 Lincoln Street will also be open during the ArtWalk.
The Woodside One Wheelers, W.O.W., initiated in 2006, offers children the opportunity to learn skills and boosts self confidence. Perched on unicycles, they juggle and perform other circus skills in parades both locally and up and down the east coast. Last fall they performed in the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Parade and at an NBA basketball game.
Throughout the season, more than 20 art venues hosting more than 100 artists will exhibit along Maine Street, Park Row, Pleasant Street and Fort Andross. The assortment of art includes paintings, pottery, mixed media, jewelry, sculpture, woodwork, textiles and more.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 27 Pleasant Street, new to the ArtWalk, will host multiple artists in its new Great Hall, as will The Brunswick Inn in their Tavern and Breakfast Rooms. Through the “Adopt an Artist” program, a number of Maine Street businesses will host different artists each month. Businesses include: Cool As A Moose, Local/Wylers, The Mix, Timeless Cottage and Enoteca.
Each month’s ArtWalk will include a variety of musicians and performing artists. During the season, the Theater Project will perform skits along the sidewalk, the Maine State Music Theater will send singers strolling along the sidewalks prior to the evening’s show, the Woodside One Wheelers will be returning, and the Hidden Ladder Collective from Portland will bring their interactive shows to Brunswick.
The ArtWalk Youth Ambassadors, dressed in brightly colored costumes, will hand out gallery maps and treasure hunt maps that even children may use. “This is our opportunity to get kids involved in art,” said Bridgett McAlonon, who is working with the youth.
The Brunswick Explorer will again provide free “Hop-On, Hop-Off” service throughout the exhibit areas during each ArtWalk. The bus loop will run from the Bowdoin College Museum of Art along Park Row, down Maine Street to Fort Andross, returning to Maine Street then to Gilman, Union and Pleasant and back to Maine.
“I am a firm believer that the arts are essential to a healthy downtown. Art invites more community events and ultimately more traffic to all local businesses,” said Patricia Porell, proprietor of Timeless Cottage, Maine Street. In previous years, “I have seen a measurable increase in foot traffic on the evenings that have been designated as ArtWalk nights,” she said.
Recent statistics from the Maine Arts Commission note that artists and arts organizations add over $300 million to the state’s economy and contribute to the vibrancy of the community’s lifestyle.
“ArtWalks generate excitement in the community that attracts both a wide variety of artists and art appreciators,” said Judith Long, Points of View Artists. “We especially appreciate the outlet for our artistic expression and an opportunity to share our work with the community.”
Five Rivers Arts Alliance thanks the more than 35 sponsors of the 2014 ArtWalk, including multiple restaurants which help make the ArtWalks possible.
Brochures are now available in businesses throughout the Midcoast or at 5raa.org.
Five Rivers Arts Alliance, with offices at 108 Maine Street, is open to all artists and art supporters in the Southern Midcoast area. The Alliance’s mission is to strengthen Maine communities through the arts by increasing awareness, knowledge, education, appreciation, participation and support for the arts and other cultural activities.
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