ArtWalk 2012: September 29-30

Arts Abound in Nashua’s Downtown and Historic Mill Yard as ArtWalk 2012 Moves to the End of September

Local residents and visitors are in for a treat on September 29 and 30, when City Arts Nashua presents ArtWalk Nashua 2012, the city’s premier cultural event, free to the public.

First held in 2006, Art Walk is a two-day festival in downtown Nashua and the nearby Mill Yard that benefits Nashua area artists, entertainers and musicians, as well as downtown restaurants and shops.   Growing every year from a very modest beginning, the ArtWalk now features around 50 area artists and entertainers in over 30 galleries, studios and venues, drawing an audience of around 1,200 people.

The annual event showcases local artists and creative downtown businesses along with free entertainment, workshops, and special events.  ArtWalk 2012 runs from noon to 5:00 pm on Saturday, and noon to 4:00 pm on Sunday.

“Nashua’s arts and entertainment scene has been growing by leaps and bounds, and this year ArtWalk again celebrates arts in the community, said Marjorie Bollinger Hogan, City Arts Nashua president.

“It is a great opportunity to meet and see artists at work, and do some early holiday shopping,” she explained.

Members of the Nashua Area Artists’ Association will display their works at the Hunt Memorial Building, a number of artists will open their studios in the Picker Building and 55 Lake Street Studios, and independent artists will be showing at Indian Head Plaza.

A variety of other downtown businesses will host independent artists as well.  At Renaissance Downtowns on Main Street, Positive Street Art is displaying the photos from their “View from A Cell” contest, and will award prizes for the best cell phone photos.  All photos will be on sale to raise funds for Positive Street Art projects. 

ArtWalk 2012 also features a wide variety of free, special activities to add to the fun, Hogan added.

Children's art activities are planned for Indian Head Plaza and Rotary Common Park.

The Nashua Sculpture Symposium is planning a guided tour of Nashua’s downtown sculptures, beginning in Bicentennial Park, on Saturday at 2 pm.

The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen will hold a NumoFelt demonstration with Melinda LeBarge on Saturday at 1:00 pm., and a glass art demonstration with Aaron Slater at 1:00 pm on Sunday

A labyrinth walk at the Rotary Common Park on South Main Street is being led by Yvonne Dunetz on Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm.  The Rotary Club of Nashua will have activities for children at the Common Park as well. 

Dunetz will provide ArtWalkers with information on the planned Gallery on the Wall at Rotary Common.  “This is an exciting project for the city.  It combines art and history on the restored wall of the Adult Learning Center, and will make the Rotary Common Park an even more wonderful place that all residents of Nashua can enjoy,” she said.

Nashua historian Alan Manoian will be leading a walk highlighting some of Nashua’s artistic and historic architecture on Saturday at 1:00 pm starting at Bicentennial Park. 

Musical entertainment at the major venues will include B Street Blues, Adrien Chan, Cold Stream, Eclectic Woodwind Quintet, Figure 8, Monument Square Brass Quintet, Siroteau, Susan and Dave Bastien, Stagecoach Women’s Chorus, Rahel and John Volpe.

The film, Sam I Am, is being featured at the Nashua Public Library on Saturday at 2:00 pm.  On Sunday at 2:00 pm Nancy Baker’s slideshow explores patterning in art, from ancient works to Islamic art, M. C. Escher, abstract expressionism, and color field painting.

New this year, two downtown restaurants, Saffron Bistro and Amsterdam Lounge, will be offering special ArtWalk menu items for the weekend of the event.  In addition, most downtown restaurants are participating in Nashua’s Fall Restaurant Week, with specially priced offerings through the weekend.

“We encourage you to come downtown during ArtWalk, experience our vibrant cultural and arts scene, do a little shopping, enjoy the entertainment, participate in the events of your choice and grab a bite to eat --- a full afternoon of fun for everyone,” Hogan said.

ArtWalk Nashua 2012, organized by City Arts Nashua, is sponsored in part the City of Nashua, Great American Downtown, Nashua Public Library, Nashua Rotary West, Tamposi-Nash Real Estate Group, The Nashua Bank, R. J. Finlay & Co, and Elizabeth Grady of Tyngsboro. Media sponsors include The Telegraph, Hippo Press, WSMN, and Frank 106.3 FM.

City Arts Nashua is a volunteer, non-profit organization that was formed to promote arts and culture in the Greater Nashua area, to act as a catalyst to help artists and arts organizations thrive, and to facilitate greater synergy among artists and arts organizations, business, government and the general public. 

The purpose of CAN’s mission is to increase arts awareness, and to build an expanded audience as a means to greater economic prosperity.  It fosters cooperation, collaboration and coordination among the artistic and cultural community, including visual arts, theater arts, musicians, and writers.

For additional information and updates on participating artists and events, visit www.cityartsnashua.org.

CONTACT:
City Arts Nashua  
603-321-6491
info@cityartsnashua.org
www.cityartsnashua.org