Art walks in Arizona and New Mexico are a great way for visitors to get to know a city on foot (or by shuttle bus). During art walks, scheduled for a given night each month or even each week, art galleries and other arts institutions stay open late to accommodate interested passersby, sometimes sweetening the deal with hors d’oeuvres and wine. Restaurants around the galleries also tend to be open and active.
The relatively benign climate in most of the Southwest makes the region an ideal place to give attendees a low-pressure introduction to the region’s arts scene.
Phoenix
Since 1994, Artlink Inc. has sponsored First Fridays in Phoenix, the nation’s largest monthly art walk. Participants can start at the Phoenix Public Library, just south of McDowell Road on Central Avenue, and utilize a brochure showing the locations of the 100 or so participating galleries.
The Phoenix event is so successful that it has spawned Third Fridays, which Phoenix arts consultant Kathleen Thomas describes as less of a party than First Fridays and more serious about art appreciation.
“It really is exciting how [downtown] has emerged with the First Fridays to create a scene,” says Doug MacKenzie of the Greater Phoenix CVB.
Scottsdale
Michelle Streeter, director of public relations for the Scottsdale CVB, touts the city’s Thursday-night art walks as a low-key way to unwind while viewing the work of more than 100 artists.
“It’s such a great way to go into the galleries,” Streeter says. “They host wine receptions, and it’s just a very fun and casual way to look at the art and not feel pressured like you have to purchase a piece; it’s very comfortable.”
Sedona
The Sedona Gallery Association’s monthly showcase highlights artists, special exhibits and other events, particularly in the gallery-rich Uptown area. It takes place the first Friday of each month and features light refreshments and free transportation from gallery to gallery, courtesy of the Sedona Trolley.
Ruidoso
In New Mexico, the Ruidoso Regional Council for the Arts holds Art After Hours Gallery Walks from May through August, highlighting a handful of galleries in close proximity to one another that hold receptions on the scheduled evening. The art walks rotate through Ruidoso’s galleries as the summer progresses.
Custom Art Walks
In areas where regularly scheduled art walks may be harder to come by, the tendency of galleries to tightly cluster around one another makes it easy for planners to arrange informal art walks, particularly in the main plaza area of Mesilla and the plaza and Canyon Road areas of Santa Fe.
For More Info
Artlink Inc.(Phoenix) 602.256.7539
www.artlinkphoenix.com
Ruidoso Regional Council fort he Arts 505.257.7272 www.ruidosoart.org
Scottsdale Gallery Association 480.990.3939
www.scottsdalegalleries.com
Sedona Gallery Association 928.282.6865
www.sedonagalleryassociation.com
