The nineteenth annual Patagonia Art Walk, an all-volunteer event, took place Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, showcasing 40 local artists, a quilt exhibit, children’s activities, and special offerings at local businesses and restaurants, along with live music everywhere – in the park, in courtyards filled with art, and on the walkway along McKeown Ave. Abundant warm sunshine invited people to enjoy strolling the streets, studios and courtyards which featured paintings, textiles, sculptures, jewelry, hand-crafted birdhouses, quilts, musical instruments, and much, much more.
The venue for Art Walk included downtown Patagonia, McKeown Ave., Naugle Ave., and the parks, as well as three pocket locations a block or so on either side of the main streets. Two vacant lots on McKeown Ave. were converted into Art Courtyards, thanks to John Shelton and Ted Piper. Parking was easy, so people of all ages and abilities were readily welcomed.
At the Artisans Courtyard, birdhouses, created by Mary Sky Schoolcraft, who organized the Art Walk, included a barn, a brilliant red and blue three decker house, houses with nautical and western themes. “Each house has a story and was so much fun to make,” Schoolcraft said. “I just want them to go to happy homes.”
A special exhibit at Cady Hall, curated by Voices from the Border, was titled “Migration Through the Eyes of Children.” Patagonia Elementary School students drew messages of welcome to migrant children on fabric squares which Gale Hall assembled into eight quilts. The quilts are “like a conversation between the Patagonia kids and the migrant kids,” volunteer Maggie Urgo said. “And now the kids get to be a part of figuring out where the quilts go.”
The Textile Courtyard at the home of Barbara Kuhns featured mittens recycled from wool sweaters, beautiful bags and jackets. Pottery at the Tin Shed, by Martha Kelly, sculpture by Keith Spooner, cards created by 11- year-old Violet Nicolls at the Creative Arts Center, and paintings at the Fine Arts Pavilion along with prints and photography, provided plenty of buying opportunities for holiday shoppers and browsing art lovers.
Schoolcraft credited the many Art Walk volunteers, including Keith Spooner, Mary Tolena, Gisa Koeger, Martha Kelly, Cassina Farley, Regina Medley, and Heather Dodge for the success of the event.
All photos by Marion Vendituoli
