Art Walk 2018

            On April 28, 2018, Downtown BG in cooperation with the BG Arts Council will hold the 26^th Annual Art Walk. This year, there will be 25 “walking galleries in various businesses downtown and will feature a different artist at eac­h site. These gallery artists’ work will be judged for a 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place prize as well as 3 People’s Choice Awards. Brochures with a listing of each artist and gallery location will be available at participating merchants and the Four Corners Center on the day of the Art Walk. All the galleries and the performing arts are free and open to the public.

            The Art Walk is one of the ways the Downtown Foundation raises money for the Flower Fund. Each summer about 1,000 plants are purchased to fill the 43 commercial pots and 38 hanging baskets in the Downtown Special Improvement District.

            Art Walk is really a community event as it features 25 local artists, 20 plus quilters, a multitude of performing artists, 14 casual artists and charities in Project Chair-Art-Y, BG local
schools as well as BGSU art departments. One of the galleries, located at 157 N. Main St., features BG Elementary school students’ art and a hands-on activities for visitors to partake in. BG High School students will display metal work at Waddington Jewelers.

            The Quilt Exhibit and Demonstrations, located at the Four Corners Center, is another major highlight of the Art Walk. Over 20 quilters will display their work and several will be demonstrating techniques. This exhibit is sponsored by the Busy Thimble and the Black Swamp Quilters and organized by Connie Miller. This year marks the 5^th year for this exhibit. A beautiful quilt has been donated by the Black Swamp Quilters to the Downtown Foundation and will be raffled off at Art Walk. The featured quilt is 70”x120” done in a log cabin pattern and machine stitched with a feather pattern. The donated quilt is currently on display at the Busy Thimble for people to get a peek of this fantastic piece before the Art Walk. On the day of the Art Walk, the quilt will be on display at the Four Corners Center. You can buy raffle tickets now at the Busy Thimble or the day of the Art Walk.

            Other features at the Four Corners Center are a variety of performing artists, including Julie’s Dance Studio performances, a fine art raffle and Project Chair-Art- y. The fine art raffle will be a donated original artwork from local artist Lonnie Rosenberg called “The Box Turtle.” The piece is framed and ready to hang for the lucky winner of this beautiful piece! Tickets for this raffle are $1 for a single ticket or 6 for $5. Project Chair-Art- y is a charity raffle where artists decorated a chair in the theme of “The Best Hometown.” The chairs will be raffled at Art Walk and the funds raised will be split 50/50 with the charity of the artist’s choice and the Flower Fund. People interested in the raffle can buy tickets at $1 a piece. Tickets will be counted for each chair and this will determine the three place prizes of Downtown Dollars for the artists.

            While you’re traveling around Downtown BG admiring all of the great artwork, keep an eye out for our two panda mascots, Sweet William and Petunia! They will be walking around the downtown carrying pots to accept your donations for the Flower Fund.

            The newest event this year is the One Bite Competition. This culinary art event will feature 7 area businesses competing to win a cash prize. Three judges will decide whose culinary delights deserve an award. Coming in to judge the event; Lucy Long – the Director of the Center of Food and Culture at BGSU – Dr. Sandra Earl – University Advocate and wife of University President Rodney Rogers – and Nathan Crook – author of culture and food. The public is invited to be a part of this event by purchasing a ticket for the One Bite Experience. This experience runs from 11am - 2pm. Each ticket holder will stop at each of the participating restaurants to delight in the restaurant chefs’ creations. The ticket will also have a stub that can be submitted as a vote for the People’s Choice Award for this event. Executive Director of Downtown BG, Mary Hinkelman, says this competition could also be called an amuze-bouch (French for mouth amuser). Tickets for this event are $10 and you can register by going to ticketwizard.events and search for Art Walk. You can register until April 21, 2018. Tickets are limited to 200. The day of Art Walk, everyone that has registered can pick up their ticket and start their experience at the Four Corners Center.

            With so many activities to enjoy, there’s bound to be something for everyone in the family! So head downtown on April 28, 2018 from 10am-4pm for an amazing experience filled with great art and food and help make our downtown beautiful.