August 2010 - First Friday ArtWalk

First Friday ArtWalk
By: Jennifer Cave-Rhea

Humble beginnings and Thursday nights dot the path of what once was a little known get together of a shared love for art and an idea of what the Downtown area could transform itself into.  Starting Friday August 6th at 5:30pm in La Retama Park, the First Friday ArtWalk Kick-off event begins with a joint Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony performed by the Honorable Mayor Joe Adame and Chair of the Downtown Management District, David Loeb. Immediately following the ribbon cutting The Electrotypes will take to the stage to mark a new era for both the ever expanding ArtWalk and the Downtown district that it calls home. Music, fun and festivities are open to all until the conclusion of the first ever First Friday ArtWalk with a prize drawing around 8:45 PM in the park.

For those that have never before experienced ArtWalk a little history lesson may be helpful.  What now sprawls over the Downtown area, up and down the never ending one-way streets was once limited to five venues and a budget that left a lot to be desired.   Word of mouth and the use of traditional and social media (more on that later) have helped the event reach out to existing and new businesses and expand on what each new venue could add to the experience.

Obviously the ArtWalk did not manifest itself into what it is today without the help of a few key individuals and a shared goal.  It all started in 2003 with then DMD Director Norma Urban and her assistant Heidi Hovda. It normally involved a single venue or was centered around a single City block with invitations to artists to display their works. In 2007 numerous businesses expressed interest in participating in EVERY ArtWalk and it became an event in which any Downtown business could participate. 

The ArtWalk is not just an event in which Downtown businesses bask in the rays of free advertising but they also put in a huge amount of effort in the revitalization of a once forgotten Downtown as longtime ArtWalk devotee and K Space Contemporary Director Michelle Smythe remembers, “We have participated in the ArtWalk since its inception in 2003.  We have also worked with the DMD to paint murals on the Lichtenstein Building and decorate Downtown for Christmas. K Space artists worked with students to paint the    traffic control boxes around Downtown, and K Space artists also painted the DTown tram that transports ArtWalkers from venue to venue.”  In 2009, Alan Albin joined the DMD as Special Projects Coordinator and he deserves a lot of credit for growing the event with his regular visits to venues and encouragement of even more Downtown businesses to join the Artwalk as it helps reconnect Corpus Christi residents with their Downtown. “Each business has a part to play in the revitalization of Downtown but many folks have no idea what exists here already and ArtWalk is helping to change that situation,” said Albin.  He is a great believer in Social Media sites like Facebook and Twitter as well as “traditional” Web Sites when it comes to promoting ArtWalk and with over 1,200 Facebook fans, and an ArtWalk Twitter account for instant interaction, Albin wants to use every available angle for getting the word out. “In the future we’re fixing to have some live streaming video from ArtWalk events and also have volunteers “Tweet” as they ride the tram and visit venues,”  “We are hoping to encourage local videographers, anyone from an amateur Blackberry enthusiast to professional film makers, to submit video of ArtWalk events which we will then package between "branded" start and end pieces for use in Social Media and perhaps even in TV advertising.” 

“Produce Gallery, on Peoples Street, has been very active in the ArtWalk branding process and have put a lot of work into helping us get to where we are today; embarking on the process of fixing the First Friday ArtWalk brand in the public consciousness.”

Back to the present we find ourselves at an exciting new beginning for the ArtWalk.  As “First Fridays” begin we have the comfort of knowing that ArtWalk has not only evolved for the better but now forms the base vehicle for events Downtown.  Numerous sponsors including the Corpus Christi Downtown Management District, K Space, Produce Gallery and Whetstone Graphics aim to make this a memorable event while artist David L. Phillips has agreed to sponsor ArtWalk for 12 months by donating an original piece of artwork each month to the prize draw held at the evening’s conclusion.  For those who wish, the absolutely free DTown Tram is ready to transport you from venue to venue while the always entertaining HOBO fills the air with their unique “honkadelic” sounds. You can collect raffle tickets from each venue visited and participate in the ArtWalk prize draw, which ensures a chance to win the original David L. Phillips piece of art, or just enjoy the complimentary refreshments, unique entertainment and numerous discounts offered at many ArtWalk venues.

The evolution from a five venue, low-budget operation to the current 43 venues and perhaps a slightly increased budget exhibits the real idea of what our Downtown can become.  The effort of a few individuals, numerous businesses and sponsors, showcases the investment, dedication and resources that have been channeled back into Downtown to revive this area that was once written off by so many.  As a passionate proponent of ArtWalk I encourage all residents and visitors to take part in this “First Friday” ArtWalk experience and enjoy the businesses of Downtown in an atmosphere like no other.