Spring Artwalk To Be Held In Downtown Alexandria

(ALEXANDRIA)  The Arts Council of Central Louisiana will host the Spring ArtWalk on Friday, March 28, 2014 from 4:00-9:00 pm in downtown Alexandria.

ArtWalk is a free, family-oriented, self-guided walking tour of over 60 participating artists, vendors, and live entertainment acts, held semiannually in the Cultural Arts District in downtown Alexandria. Sidewalks, green spaces, and the alleys come alive as local artists demonstrate and sell their works of art. All original artwork sold within the Cultural Arts District is tax-free.

The primary goal of the Artwalk is to unite Central Louisiana’s vibrant arts community. The Spring 2014 ArtWalk will provide entertainment for all ages, bring in cultural tourists, and generate revenue within the Cultural Arts District of downtown Alexandria.

Artists will have booths set up within the Alexander Fulton Mini-Park and elsewhere along 3rd Street beginning at the intersection of 3rd and Jackson streets to the intersection of 3rd and St. James streets.

The Alexandria Museum of Art and River Oaks Square Arts Center will both be open to the public free of charge; AMoA will also be hosting their Rhythm and Rhymes Spoken Word Series featuring Mosaic Dialect. The evening entertainment will include Theatre Louisiana College performing a scene from “Bye Bye Birdie”, Pineville High School performing a scene from “Fiddler on the Roof”, belly dance performances, the Arts Awareness & Education Award ceremony, local vocalists and performing arts groups, and spoken word artists.

The City of Alexandria trolleys will be running between downtown Alexandria through the Historic Garden District to the First United Methodist Church on Jackson Street, and back. The trolleys will be available for those who wish to go to the Tom Peyton Memorial Arts Festival Opening at FUMC and back to ArtWalk, those who wish to ride from one side of ArtWalk to the other, and those who live in the Historic District who wish to ride the trolley to ArtWalk and back. The trolleys will begin running at 5:00 pm and continue until 9:00 pm. Stops will be at the intersection of Murray and 4th Street, on St. James Street between the Arna Bontemps Museum and the T.R.E.E. House Museum, at the Alexandria Museum of Art and at the FUMC on Jackson. The trolleys are being sponsored by the Alexandria/Pineville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Local businesses open for ArtWalk include: Alexandria Museum of Art, River Oaks Square Arts Center, Arna Bontemps African American Museum, Finnegan’s Wake, Diamond Grill, Tamp and Grind Coffee House, T.R.E.E. House Children’s Museum, Tipitina’s Music Office Co-op, and many more.

For more information on the ArtWalk or for information about participating as a vendor, please call (318) 484-4474.