When you think of art, you may immediately think of a frame hung on a wall.
If that’s your sole conception of art, Harrisburg’s annual Gallery Walk is here to broaden your perspective, offering a multi-sensory experience involving multiple forms, genres and techniques.
“You don’t have to visit a big city to experience tremendously vibrant art,” said Carrie Wissler-Thomas, president of the Art Association of Harrisburg, who has organized the event since 1986.
You won’t find all the tour stops in traditional art galleries either. Many are in commercial businesses. Some are in churches. A few are even outside.
“Harrisburg doesn’t have a gallery district, and we have few commercial galleries,” Wissler-Thomas said. “We do well promoting the arts without having all our galleries in a row. We bring art to local businesses that are willing to open their walls to artists. We reach the people by bringing art to them.”
At Gallery Walk, you’ll find traditional paint on canvas—but so much more—from about 500 artists in 27 open house locations.
“Most tour stop locations are smaller venues or shows with one or two artists,” Wissler-Thomas said. “If you don’t have all day to invest, you can target some of the larger exhibits.”
For instance, more than 100 artists are featured just at the State Museum’s annual “Art of the State” exhibit. And, at 1 p.m., the exhibit gets interactive with the “Artists’ Conversations” talk.
Art with an architectural theme will be in focus at several venues, including at The Art Association of Harrisburg’s “Structures” exhibit. Across town, the Susquehanna Art Museum will feature “Towards an Old/New Architecture,” a show put on by the Central PA Chapter of the Architects of America. In addition, architect Clayton Lappley’s renderings of some of the city’s most famous buildings will be on view at Historic Harrisburg Association.
Gallery@Second, one of Harrisburg’s few dedicated art galleries, will feature work by Joanne Finkle and Peter J. DeHart. At other locations, attendees can expect to find sculptures, paper cuts, encaustic, knitted creations and myriad mixed media.
The Millworks, a new location for Gallery Walk this year, holds another large concentration of art, with 35 artists working in 23 studios that will be open to the public.
“Millworks is an exciting, significant change to the walking route this year,” said Wissler-Thomas.
Artists from the Susquehanna Valley Plein Air Painters will create art outside on the grounds of City House Bed & Breakfast, while plein air artists also will set up at the Governor’s Residence garden.
Young artists will be well represented at Gallery Walk. Capital Area School for the Arts Charter School, located in Strawberry Square, will show pieces from its classes. Y Art’s contribution, “Discovering the Next Generation of Artists,” is a juried exhibit at Whitaker Center that features art by high school students from across central PA. Old City Hall will include artwork from students at Harrisburg High School. Uptown, you’ll find university-level art from Slippery Rock and Kutztown on the Dixon University campus.
Gallery Walk doesn’t limit itself to art from the area and the state. Brian Molloy is an impressionist artist from Boston who will open his small art studio on Locust Street. St. Stephen’s Mission Gallery at the Episcopal Cathedral will show artwork from Haiti and Brazil, and 704 Lounge will have pieces by New York artists.
At Gallery Walk, the art will extend to live music. Little Amps on State Street will feature an audio-visual music explosion from Harrisburg artist Stephen Michael Haas. The Latino Hispanic American Community Center on Derry Street will host live music with a cultural flair, while AAH will feature Hemlock Hollow, a guitar and mandolin duo. Pine Street Presbyterian Church and Midtown Scholar Bookstore also will offer live music.
No Last Call, Harrisburg’s “hit-and-run street band,” will play along the Gallery Walk route all afternoon.
“There are about 20 people in No Last Call,” said Wissler-Thomas. “They’re going to wear period marching band uniforms and play campy music all afternoon. They’re great.”
If all that walking makes you thirsty, many of the tour stops will offer refreshments, and you even can make your own bloody Mary at 704 Lounge from 2 to 4 p.m.
Wissler-Thomas said that she invests nine months of planning and promotions into each Gallery Walk.
“This is our gift to the community,” she said. “We hope it brings new people to Harrisburg to enjoy and sell art.”
The 27th Annual Gallery Walk takes place Sunday, Sept. 13, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Street parking is free, and the Sutliff Chevrolet shuttle will be on hand to offer rides along the route. The Gallery Walk brochure can be downloaded at www.artassocofhbg.com/index2.htm.
