Thursday is quickly becoming the best day of the week in Queen Anne. This month will see the grand opening of the Farmers Market, open weekly, and Neighborhood Nights has already begun, with merchants keeping their doors open much later every Thursday night. The final addition to the weekday event calendar is the first Upper Queen Anne Art Walk, which will be held every third Thursday of the month, beginning June 21.
"When I opened my store here in Queen Anne, I was really surprised that an established neighborhood like this didn't have an art walk," said Kim Flanery-Rye, the driving force behind the event. "It came up as a great opportunity to introduce the Art Walk with the Farmers Market and Neighborhood Nights, and really use those multilayered Thursdays."
Flanery-Rye owns Bouncing Wall, a Queen Anne store specializing in clothing and accessories crafted by local artists. Earlier this year, she began looking into how many local merchants were supporting art. In March, with the beginning concept of structuring an Art Walk, she approached Joan Webster, president of the Upper Queen Anne Merchants Association. Webster, owner of Queen Anne Frame, was planning Neighborhood Nights and saw the potential for a coordinating event.
"I was like, 'Well ... if you want to organize it, I'll help you,'" explained Webster. "So she and I have done it together."
The first step was finding local businesses interested in participating.
"Initially some [merchants] were nervous," said Flanery-Rye, "purely because they weren't sure how to approach it. They had a lot of questions: how do we get the artists, how many paintings do we put up, how do we display them, when do we rotate?"
Flanery-Rye, experienced with local art and Art Walk events, began to address the basic concerns of merchants less experienced with finding and displaying artwork. She and Web-ster worked together to create helpful FAQs and how-to pamphlets, distributing them to local businesses. Flan-ery-Rye then approached local artists with the help of the Upper Queen Anne Merchants Association, compiling a list that merchants could work from. The response from local artists was immediate; two days after posting a call on craigslist, Flanery-Rye had more than 30 positive responses.
Some stores are taking the opportunity to display art by owners, employees, customers or friends. Greg Conner, owner of Eat Local, was inspired by the Art Walk to provide a truly unique experience. The new shop will be decorated with more than 30 individual pieces of Northwest art, focusing on Albert Fisher and David Lance Goines, two native artists prolific in the 1960s and '70s.
"This is a great opportunity to share something that is truly Northwest, but hasn't been shared here for over 40 years," said Conner. "Since most of these artists' works are in private collections, this will be an incredible opportunity to offer the public."
Working from similar events held in other areas such as Fremont and Ballard, Queen Anne has sparked new interest in its commercial district by in-corporating local artists and neighbors.
"Hopefully the Art Walk will provide merchants more business and exposure at their locations," said Falnery-Rye. "There are people that I know that specifically go to art walks, and for the artists, having more locations to showcase their work is a great opportunity."
As the idea grew into reality, many local merchants saw its potential.
"I work in the community," said Conner, "and it will benefit us to have this opportunity to be more involved."
"I think [merchants] were excited. Art walks have been proven to bring new customers and new energy, especially in the evenings," said Webster. "It makes the neighborhood a kind of cultural event. I think it builds community. Seeing friends, going to a nice restaurant, seeing art; it creates more of a European atmosphere."
If the event proves successful, Webster and Flanery-Rye have expressed a desire to extend it into a year-round event.
"We would love to continue on so it's not just a summer event," explained Flanery-Rye. "Anything new that happens only once a month takes a while to generate buzz and get people used to the schedule. I'm really looking for us to go into the fall and winter, and have it become something that is permanent."
Both women have been heartened by some merchants' claims that they will continue to display art in their stores, even if the event ends with summer.
"We've already got some ideas for the next showing," said Conner.
Webster explains: "I think if local businesses have art that ties into their place, it makes their shop environment more interesting. It benefits everyone."
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