Spring Art Walk 2012 is set to be the best Art Walk yet! We have plenty of artists and inspiring downtown Durham locations, but we also have tons of events, collaborative promotions, creative installations and family-friendly activities that will keep you busy while you are exploring Downtown!
This year’s special features include a collaboration with the Bull City Connector and the Bull City BUCK$ mobile app program on the Bull City Connector Art Walk “Scan“venger Hunt. Each Art Walk site will feature a QR code that can be scanned to earn BUCK$, which can be redeemed at local businesses. Each Art Walk site will be worth 1 BUCK, while Art Walk hub sites such as the Durham Arts Council (site 1), the Durham Convention Center (site 9), Vega Metals (site 21), the Trotter Building (site 24), Golden Belt (site 26), and Smitten Boutique (site 39) will be worth 8 BUCK$. Art Walk visitors can also earn BUCK$ by riding the Bull City Connector or by attending the Art Walk after hours parties. The parties will be at Beyu Caffe on Friday, April 27 from 5:30-8:00, at the Pinhook on Saturday, April 28, from 5:00-8:00, and at Bull City Burgers and Brewery on Sunday, April 29, from 5:00-7:00. Each after party will feature live music, and Bull City BUCK$ representatives will be on hand to provide information about the program.
Art Walk is for the whole family. Visit a 9-hole putt-putt course at the Golden Belt complex (sites 26-30), constructed by the businesses of Golden Belt including Golden Belt artists, the Scrap Exchange, LabourLove Gallery, Liberty Arts, and Blend Café, using materials from the Scrap Exchange. The putt-putt course features creative holes with designs inspired by dragons, artists such as Claes Oldenberg, Japanese video games, and whatever else inspires the talented Golden Belt artists! The Museum of Durham History’s new History Hub (site 40), at 521 W. Morgan St., will feature hands on activities for kids. FabLabs Carolina will have a Calderesque community arts day on Saturday, April 28, in Central Park. The Retreat at Brightleaf (site 37)will be celebrating its one-year anniversary and will feature food trucks, drawings, and art by Art Walk artists including Rocket Betty, Kim Collins, and Eleatta Diver. Stop by to grab some food truck goodies and to buy mom a Mother’s Day spa treatment. And Vega Metals (site 21) will be continuing their tradition of offering a unique Durham Art Walk ornament.
Storefront installations by the Durham Storefront Project will create a celebratory and springy atmosphere, providing unique artist installations throughout the Spring Market route.
Installations will be located throughout downtown and in a house outside of the Golden Belt complex.
Art Walk is about living art, and there is plenty of opportunity to make art and to see art being made. Various artists will be offering hands on activities, and Golden Belt (site 26) will be featuring artist demos on Saturday, with a special demonstration by Durham artist Beverly McIver at one. Don’t miss the numerous musicians playing throughout Art Walk locations and the Bull City Connector. The musicians at the Durham Arts Council (site 1), Vega Metals (site 21), the Trotter Building (site 24), and the Bull City Connector are all organized by Kirk Ridge of the North Carolina Songwriter’s Co-Op. Golden Belt will be featuring the musician Dawn Michelle Williams on Saturday and will have a performance by the Durham Youth Orchestra on Sunday. Also check out Durham Art Walk Rocks at CCB Plaza, organized by the City of Durham Parks and Recreation, and don’t miss the talented students of theDurham School of the Arts (site 38), who will be performing all during Art Walk on Saturday. For a full schedule of performance times and locations, visit our Music Page.
Hamilton Hill Jewelry will be festooned with the art of the seas from the Gellner Pearl Trunk Show. Stop by to see AMAZING pearl jewelry!
We will be having an Art work Drawing this Spring Art Walk. Stop by the DAC Lobby (site 1) for the chance to win fabulous original artwork including special pieces by Vega Metals and local artists, and special DAW tote bags. Some of the Art Work available is pictured below! You can find more work from these artists at Vega Metals (site 21), Golden Belt Arts (site 26), and the Retreat at Brightleaf (site 27).
New events will be added up to the start of the event! Keep checking back as our 2012 Spring Art Walk grows and develops!
