11th Annual Harrisburg Gallery Walk

11th Annual Harrisburg Gallery Walk

by Tammi Hitchcock

Put on your walking shoes and get ready for the 11th Annual Harrisburg Gallery Walk! This event promises to be the largest and by far the most exciting Gallery Walk in the history of Harrisburg. Forget the images you might be conjuring up of stuffy art connoisseurs perusing quiet, stark formal galleries. You’ll see the full spectrum of visual arts while browsing downtown Harrisburg — from paintings and sculptures in the classical styles to photography and mixed media pieces in abstract or modern art. This is a full day of food, fun, entertainment, and a visual feast for the eyes — a day to bring the whole family downtown and get your dose of cultural exposure.

Art Association On Sunday, September 12th more than 22 galleries and businesses will welcome visitors from near and far. Doors will be open from 11am to 6pm and everyone is welcome. “Visiting a gallery may be intimidating for people by themselves, but when it goes en mass” people become more relaxed, explains Rose Mary Summers, owner of The Gallery at Walnut Place. “It’s an entertaining afternoon full of interesting, creative artwork, enjoyable music, and dancing,” reflects Fleur Byers, a prominent local visual artist and founder of the Arts for Peace and Justice exhibit, which was recently on display in Strawberry Square.

People come to view the diverse art in the Gallery Walk from near and far. Not only do visitors take advantage of the exhibits, but it’s even rumored that repeat visitors come to Harrisburg for the day from Hazleton, Lancaster, York, Carlisle, and as far as Philadelphia where the publication, Art Matters, has published an article about the Harrisburg event. By all accounts, publicity is key in getting the word out about The Walk. Mary Roth of Strawberry Square reports that WITF, a sponsor of all the arts, hosts live broadcasts from the Square’s atrium during the Walk, and Gallery Walk articles have been published in a variety of local publications. “The Gallery Walk definitely draws people to the downtown area,” adds Ms. Summers.

This year the Walk even has it’s own website http://www.MODEmagazine.com/gallerywalk, and Gallery Walk brochures with the gallery addresses, descriptions, and a site map can be found throughout downtown and at each of the Galleries. Although the informative brochure has the art locations set up in a numerical sequence, being a free country and a self-guided tour, you may choose to start your exploring at any location and proceed at your leisure. This is not a formal walk. T-shirts, shorts and sneakers are totally appropriate unless you just can’t bring yourself to dressing-down on Sunday. It’s up to you. The event is free and so is the parking on downtown streets.

North Street Cafe A live interpretation of visual art will take place in the courtyard at The Gallery at Walnut Place where a life-size canvas of Monet’s Lady with Parasol will be illustrated by model, Ginger Smith. There will also be tea and scones, so be sure to bring your sweet tooth and your lunch-money with you on the Walk. Increasingly, local restaurants are showcasing local professional artists. Dave Pryor, Manager of Scotts Grill, explains that though the public “may not see the art (inside Scotts dining room) as serious because it’s not a gallery, so this (the Gallery Walk) opportunity gives people a chance to view it up close.” Along with being able to dine at the two restaurants in the lineup, many places will be enticing viewers with tasty treats and refreshments. In addition, several area restaurants will be open as well.

Several musical programs are being offered throughout the day including three organ recital programs by Thomas Clark Jones at 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30pm in the Pine Street Presbyterian Church, a keyboard musician at Penn National insurance from noon to 3pm, poetry readings and music at MetroArts, jazz at the Art Association, and musical entertainment in Strawberry Square.

As with every year, this year’s Walk includes several locations that are considered a ‘must see,’ — but the Art Association on Front Street and the Whitaker Center on Market Street seem to be among those sites that will be highly targeted by this year’s viewers. The Art Association is featuring a new, juried show with member artists interpreting the theme “The Art of the Table” and the new The Whitaker Center will be opening just in time for the public to explore. By all indications, exploration of the Arts and Sciences is what the Whitaker Center was founded on — and the Center is already becoming a piece of the fabric of the cultural community. And while the Whitaker Center and the Art Association are definite draws, be sure not to miss the graphics exhibit by Andy Warhol at the Governor’s residence — it’s sure to blow you away!

Raintree Retro Founded in 1989, the Gallery Walk was a brainchild of Carrie Wissler-Thomas, Art Association of Harrisburg President, and various gallery/museum representatives. They saw it as a way to showcase their collections, boost the area’s cultural development, and draw the general public’s attention to the arts available in the City. Now, eleven years later, Ms. Thomas and the other galleries have created a traditional event that takes over the City on the second Sunday in September.

By all accounts, the state-of-the-arts in Harrisburg is growing stronger every year. The Harrisburg arts community, “is very vibrant and gaining in respect and popularity,” says Ms. Thomas, as she continues to speak excitedly on how the community has grown to give artists “the respect they should have” and how in the area artists are now “treated as professional people.” As a result of the art community’s growth, people no longer need to travel to major metropolitans to purchase exceptional artwork — there is an incredibly high concentration of artists and talented people in Central Pennsylvania and galleries of all sorts have stepped-up-to-the-plate by showing and selling quality work locally. “The yearly Gallery Walk has increased interest and public awareness of the visual arts and the arts in general,” says Ms. Thomas. “We make it friendly and fun.”

Excitement for each year’s upcoming Walk is anticipated by artists and gallery owners alike, and not long after one Walk is over does the steering committee begin meeting again to review the event and start planning for the next one. Representatives from each gallery meet regularly from March through August to work out the details of hosting each year’s Gallery Walk, and many of these galleries report getting inquiries throughout the year on the upcoming Gallery Walk dates.

Being a “pedestrian-friendly” event, this year trolley service will not be available as most of the locations are within walking distance of each other. The few outlying locations can be reached by car and parking is not expected to be a problem. Besides, you’ll need to walk off the calories you’ve taken in along the way

Now is the time to be a part of the arts! Pack up the kids, the car, and maybe even a picnic lunch to enjoy at Riverside Park. Get up, get dressed, and get out there! Take advantage of a casual, culturally enriched day down by the river.

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