Durham Arts Council Presents the 2013 Durham Art Walk Spring Market

Imagine taking a leisurely stroll through the picturesque streets of Downtown Durham and browsing hundreds of pieces of artwork, talking to artists, enjoying live music, and tasting scrumptious foods. Your imagination doesn't have to take you too far, because the Durham Art Walk is coming soon.

The Durham Art Walk (DAW) Spring Market will take place on April 13 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and April 14 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m in downtown Durham.  The work of over 200 talented artists will be displayed at 33 venues, including the Durham Arts Council, Vega Metals, West Village Apartment Lofts, the Durham Armory, Bull City Arts Collaborative, Net Friends, LabourLove Gallery, Liberty Arts, the Pleiades Gallery, the Scrap Exchange, and the Smitten Boutique.   The Durham Art Walk is produced and presented by the Durham Arts Council.

The DAW Spring Market brings thousands of visitors for a weekend of art enjoyment, shopping, and exploration of all the great things the newly revitalized downtown Durham has to offer.  Visitors will be able enjoy festive musical performances, eat great food and find creative, local gifts for everyone on their Mother’s Day or graduation lists.  The full Art Walk program, including a list of artists and all Art Walk locations, is available in the Durham Herald-Sun the week before Art Walk and can also be viewed at www.durhamartwalk.com.

This year features a second collaboration with the Bull City BUCK$ mobile app program on the Art Walk “Scan”venger Hunt.  Each Art Walk site will feature a QR code that can be scanned to earn BUCK$, which can be redeemed at local businesses.

Storefront installations by the Durham Storefront Project will create a celebratory and springy atmosphere, providing unique artist installations throughout the Spring Market route.  Storefront installations are temporary, so catch them now before they disappear!  A talk by the Storefront Project artists will be held on Saturday April 13th from 5pm-7pm at the Carrack Modern Art Gallery on 111 W. Parrish St. in downtown Durham.

Art Walk is for the whole family.  Children’s shorts and cartoons are on view in the Durham Arts Council’s PSI Theater during the Art Walk weekend.  The Museum of Durham History’s newly renovated History Hub will feature Durham-centric educational exhibits and Art Walk artists.  The Scrap Exchange will feature a group of re-use artists on site during the Saturday of Art Walk.  Vega Metals will be continuing their tradition of offering a unique Durham Art Walk ornament.  Vega Metals will also have food trucks parked outside their location throughout the Art Walk weekend.

Live music organized by Kirk Ridge of the North Carolina Songwriter’s Co-Op will entertain visitors throughout the weekend at the Durham Arts Council, and the Durham Armory.  On Saturday Vega Metals will also have live music, organized by Squier Red.  The Durham School of the Arts will be showing student work Art Walk weekend and Saturday night at 7:30 will feature a dance performance by Blank Slate Dance Company.  The performance will take place at Weaver Auditorium and is being held to benefit cancer support organizations.

Hungry?  Food is never far away with Durham’s special fleet of food trucks and great restaurants including Art Walk sites Blue Coffee Café, Bull City Burger and Brewery, and Bull McCabe’s Irish Pub.  Also make sure to visit The Parlour, downtown Durhamn’s newest truck-to-storefront food addition, to grab some made-from-scratch ice cream during your walk!

“The creative economy is booming here in Durham,” said Durham Arts Council Executive Director Sherry DeVries, “and this event is a great example of this upsurge with so many talented artists at a single event working in every imaginable medium.  We intentionally keep Art Walk as an unjuried event to encourage visual artists at all levels to share and market their work – from artists showcasing for the first time to experienced, nationally known artists.”

The Durham Art Walk Spring Market is free and open to the public, rain or shine.  Visitors can take the Bull City Connector, a fare free bus service connecting Duke Medical Center and Golden Belt, on Saturday.  Free shuttle service is provided on Sunday by Hendrick Durham Auto Mall.  The Durham Art Walk is presented and produced by the Durham Arts Council with support from community sponsors.  For more information, visit online or call 919-560-ARTS.

Durham Arts Council, Inc. is a private, non-profit organization that promotes excellence in and access to the creation, experience and active support of the arts for all people in our community.  The Durham Arts Council, one of the oldest art councils in the United States and one of the largest in North Carolina, manages a historic building at 120 Morris St., a public facility in downtown Durham that attracts nearly 300,000 visitors a year.  The Durham Arts Council has year-round programs including art exhibitions; classes in the performing and visual arts; artist residencies; advocacy and fundraising; grants for artists and arts organizations; the Durham Art Walk; and CenterFest.  For more information, visit their website. To volunteer with the Durham Art Walk, email Lindsay Gordon.

For more information about great Durham art or things to do and see, please visit online.