Bethany Wilson expects a large crowd to wander through Blowfish Emporium Friday night.
The eclectic, downtown art gallery will again participate in Art D’Vine – an organized walking tour of seven galleries in the Twin City’s central business district -- that has generated hundreds of visitors in previous months. Friday’s three-hour event offers participants a chance to tour seven galleries, sample free wines and snacks and do a little holiday shopping. The tour is a project of Believe in Bristol, the downtown business promotional organization.
Events began in June, as part of the Virginia side’s formal designation of a downtown arts and entertainment district and have continued to grow.
“Art D’Vine gives us an excuse for people to have some wine, a few snacks and gives us something to do on a Friday night,” Wilson said Tuesday. “We’ve had really, really good attendance. We had them every month throughout the summer and then holidays like Halloween and now Christmas. Every single one, we’ve had several hundred people.”
That interest demonstrates the events and galleries are meeting a long-term need, Wilson said.
“This region has such a saturation of talented artisans, but it has been lacking a showcase for them to get their work out,” Wilson said. “I used to live in Atlanta and would go to galleries down there. Comparing, we are just as talented and more affordable, so something like Art D’Vine is so good for our community. It highlights the local talent, it’s an event for people to come out and have fun and it’s an event to expose them to what the arts can do for a community.”
Wilson’s shop typically showcases the work of about 25 to 30 regional artists and stocks a mixture of fine art, paintings, photography, paintings and jewelry.
“Every stop has a completely different style so it’s not like you’re going to keep seeing the same kind of art,” she added.
Stops on the tour include:
- Benjamin Walls Gallery, 701 State St.
- Blowfish Emporium, 529 State St.
- Bridgeforth Design Studio, 29 Sixth St.
- Kil’n Time Gallery, 818 State St.
- One Night Stand Gallery, 618 State St.
- One of a Kind Gallery, 604 State St.
- 606 State Street Gallery, 606 State St.
“There is something for everybody, be their bent photography or sculpture or fused glass art or the traditional mainstream,” said Katherine Bowman, associate director of Believe in Bristol.
Friday’s event also includes a canned food drive to help area food banks, Bowman said.
Organizers are also hoping participants will go to every gallery, rather than just one or two.
“We’re trying to encourage people to make it to all seven galleries so we’ve extended our time period from 6 to 9 and we’ve created a passport with a list of all the galleries. Every gallery will punch their passport and – if they’ve been to all seven – they’ll be entered in a drawing for a gift certificate to Macado’s or Machiavelli’s,” Bowman said. “You can’t lose. It’s free, it’s fantastic wines from Inari you can sample for free, you get to experience this fantastic art scene we have downtown and you might win dinner.”
dmcgee@bristolnews.com
(276) 645-2532
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