A sign decorates Water Valley’s Main Street to signify the 2015 Water Valley Art Crawl. (Photo courtesy: Water Valley Arts Council)
The 8th annual Water Valley Art Crawl will feature historic homes, beautiful galleries and bountiful libations in the always-charming downtown Water Valley this Saturday.
Artists, musicians and novices alike can enjoy free wine, snacks and art during the walking tour, which will cover various businesses and homes throughout downtown.
Ramona Bernard, co-director of the Water Valley Arts Council, stressed that the event is family-friendly and everyone, interested in art or not, is welcome to come and see what Water Valley has to offer.
“We have a map that we put on stands, and you pick those up at locations like Bozart’s Gallery on the crawl. At the stops, you can walk up to the door and be greeted by an artist,” Bernard said. “You can come to meet the artists and wander around our beautiful town while listening to music. Dozens of artists will be participating. It’s family friendly and just super fun.”
The one-day event boasts 12 stops and is unique from many Oxford art crawls because it is specifically a walking tour and features many distinctive Water Valley locations.
“It’s not a ride on a bus. This is a walking tour. You can interact with people all up and down Main Street,” Bernard said. “Our local brewery will also be open for tours. We have lots of cool restaurants and knick-knack shops, too.”
The annual event is usually attended by hundreds, many of whom are Ole Miss students.
“We specifically hold the art crawl when Ole Miss has an away game,” Bernard laughingly said.
People walk through downtown Water Valley to enjoy the art crawl, beating the heat with Water Valley Arts Council fans. Photo courtesy: Water Valley Arts Council.
Founding Water Valley Arts Council member and featured artists Pati D’Amico and her husband, Bill Warren, open up their home every year to the art crawl visitors.
Their working studios will be displayed for all to see during the tour, and they will also host a guest artist, Oxford native Michael Maxwell, and prodigy musicians, the Zediker brothers, Matthew and Charlie.
D’Amico echoed Bernard when stressing that one doesn’t have to be an art aficionado to appreciate the art crawl. Just exploring the quaint town can be beauty enough.
“We don’t do art crawls on a monthly basis. We’re a small, historic, very pretty town,” D’Amico said. “You’re looking at houses from the 1800s and up. It’s really fun to just walk around town. It’s a pretty little town with great restaurants.”
All of the stops on the tour are comfortably within walking distance from each other, and many are on Main Street.
“Everybody has really good food and libations, and it’s a really nice way for people who maybe don’t know that much about art to get introduced,” D’Amico said. “It’s much more relaxing to see art in somebody’s home.”
People participating in the art crawl peruse Water Valley’s historic neighborhoods and downtown. Photo courtesy: Ramona Bernard.
This year, the art crawl will end with an afterparty at Bozart’s Gallery, where visitors will have the chance to dance under Bozart’s famous disco ball and enjoy even more refreshments and music.
The art crawl will feature various artists and musicians, including Jon McLeod, Katrina Geenen, Mari Foster and Kevin Guyer, among many others.
Stop by Water Valley this weekend and welcome the autumn season with a glass of wine, good music and art for all. The art crawl will begin at 5:30 p.m.
