Nashua Art Walk Weekend: Bigger and Better than Even

The 10th annual Art Walk, Nashua’s premier arts festival, takes place on Saturday and Sunday this weekend and features over 100 artists displaying and selling their work, constant musical entertainment, demonstrations, and activities for both children’s and adults on both days.

Studios and venues open at 11 a.m. on Saturday, directly after the Gate City Fall Festival Parade on Main Street and close at 5 p.m. Sunday hours are noon to 4 p.m.

“Art Walk as a perfect way to take care of holiday gift giving by shopping local, supporting the arts, enjoying great entertainment, and having a great meal in one of Nashua’s fine restaurants, all at the same time,” noted Kathy Hersh, president of City Arts Nashua.

Art Walk’s formal opening ceremony takes place at noon at the 30 Temple Street Plaza and will feature the live painting of an Art Walk sign by urban street artist Eric Escobar.

“We are pleased that Virigina Lupi, the new director of the NH State Council for the Arts, will be joining us,” added Hersh.

Independent artists will be exhibiting and selling their work at 30 Temple Plaza, the Studios at the Picker Building in the nearby Mill Yard, the Nashua Public Library, and 22 venues in business along Main Street. Both the Nashua Area Artists Association at 30 Temple St. and the Hollis Art Society on West Pearl will open their galleries.

Participating artists represent a wide range from fine art, to photography, 3-D art, many crafts, fine jewelry, quilting, urban street art and much more.

Musical entertainment will be continuous at all the major Art Walk venues both days, along with demonstrations, special art classes, children’s activities, urban street dancing, book signings, and more.

Art Walk has three firsts this year. Emerging and student artists will be exhibiting their work at 30 Temple Street. A poetry open mic, hosted by local poets Roy Goodman and Penny Baert Zywusko will take place at the Nashua Public Library on Saturday. And City Arts Nashua is featuring “Art Walk Food Stops” to encourage visitors to plan either lunch or dinner, or both when visiting Art Walk.

Parking is free for all downtown lots and meters on Saturday. Two free Art Walk Trolley buses will run from Holman to Prospect Street from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Saturday, and City Arts Nashua is providing a bus on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. to help visitors move between Art Walk venues and scheduled events.

The Art Walk Weekend map/programs will available at 30 Temple St., the Nashua Public Library, the Picker Building, and participating downtown venues and restaurants so visitors can plan their activities in advance.

Each venue and participating food stop will have the traditional Art Walk sign with balloons posted outside so visitors can recognize where to go.

An Art Walk closing ceremony will be held on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. in Rotary Common Park on Main Street, with a labyrinth walk led by Yvonne Dunetz.

The weekend festivities also include the second annual Art Walk Fancy Friday Fundraiser on Friday evening, a Nashua tradition planned with fun, fanciness and fundraising in mind. Participants put on their best dressy clothing and join friends and other like-minded people moving between locations in downtown Nashua.

Fancy Friday restaurants and bars offer food and drink discounts and no cover to participants. Special attractions include free portraits by Studio Mark Emile and a silent auction at the Hunt Memorial Building.

A reception and sneak peak of the work photographer Anthony Grassetti will be showing at Art Walk will be held at Old Amsterdam from 10 pm until closing.

A $10 wristband gets admittance to all Fancy Friday activities; proceeds from the wristbands and silent auction items go to support City Arts Nashua’s programs, projects and publicity for the arts. Wristbands will be available at Margarita’s from 5:30 pm until 8 pm. Check out facebook.com/FancyFriday for where to buy wristbands in advance.

Art Walk Fancy Friday sponsors are Studio Mark Emile, M&C Clothing and Gifts, Artistic Tile, Anthony Grassetti Photography, Persian Rug Gallery and Industrial Solutions.

Art Walk’s presenting sponsor is R. J. Finlay – 30 Temple Street, with additional sponsorship by the Nashua Arts Commission, the Nashua Chamber of Commerce, BAE Systems, and Great American Downtown.

For more information on the Gate City Fall Festival, go to nashuanh.gov. To learn more details about Art Walk Weekend, including a list of artists, venues, entertainment and food stops, go to cityartsnashua.org.

Submitted text. Courtesy graphic.