Merchants Invited To Be Participants In Monthly Art Walks

Downtown merchants are invited and encouraged to participate in the Fourth Friday Art Walks series, if being open for the event makes sense for the business.

The newly formed Gallery Association of Ste. Genevieve issued the invitation in a news release last week.

The Fourth Friday Art Walk series is being renewed as art events for art enthusiasts and will be promoted across the region as the event moves forward.

Nearing its 11th anniversary, the Fourth Friday Art Walk this year is being coordinated by the Gallery Association of Ste. Genevieve, which was founded late last year.

For the February 22 art walk, the association conducted a limited promotion of the first event of the season, which ended with a public event of music and food sponsored by the owners of Hayloft Gallery. Most of the members of the board of the newly formed Gallery Association attended along with members of the community.

In preparation for the kickoff of this year’s Fourth Friday Art Walk season, the association released information intended for all downtown merchants concerning the renewed focus of the art walks as art exhibit openings.

The Gallery Association of Ste. Genevieve invites merchants, which are not traditional art spaces, to be involved and promoted on any monthly Fourth Friday Art Walk.

In order to be considered for promotion on any month, the non-art space merchant would be hosting an artist, art exhibit, artisan or arts-related event.  Merchants planning an art event would need to have the event details to the association by the second Friday of the month to be included in news releases and promotions. Merchants are encouraged, as are the traditional art spaces, to promote the art event by any means in order to increase attendance at their event.

As always, downtown merchants which are not hosting an art event are encouraged and invited to be open on Art Walks if it makes sense for their individual business models.

If a merchant plans an artist event for any Fourth Friday Art Walk, they will be included in promotions provided they e-mail that information by the second Friday of the month to artwalkstegen@gmail.com. Information submitted later than the second Friday will be included in any art walk promotion efforts not already completed or published.

The e-mail address also may be used as a contact for any questions or concerns about the Forth Friday Art Walk series.

The Gallery Association of Ste. Genevieve is an initiative to help coordinate and promote art spaces within the historic district. From Ste. Genevieve to St. Louis and Cape Girardeau and beyond, the association’s mission is to multiply connections among artists, enthusiasts and collectors, improve access to exhibit spaces, and build a more vibrant city and regional art community.

For more information, visit stegenartwalk.blogspot.com.

(Information in a news release from the Gallery Association of Ste. Genevieve.)