The Searcy Art Walk took place Friday evening, September 5, during which local artists displayed their works at three venues in town.
At 6 p.m., guests began meeting at the Searcy Art Gallery on Race Avenue, then went to the Stevens Art Gallery on campus at 7 p.m. and finally ended the walk at 8 p.m. at Midnight Oil. Daniel Adams, professor of art, said the Searcy Art Walk was created as a way for artists to engage the community and to help exhibit the local art culture, which can often go unnoticed.
“I’ve been involved with Searcy Arts Council for years as an artist, and I’ve long been part of the art department,” Adams said. “We wanted to look at ways to combine forces to create more of a cultural sense around Searcy, an artistic culture. We want to grow that culture.”
Myra Shock, executive director of the Searcy Art Gallery, said visitors to the gallery had a chance to look around inside, enjoy refreshments, and view and purchase works of a number of local artists, including featured artist Angela Turney. Guests could also pick up a 15 percent off coupon for a drink at Midnight Oil to use later on the walk. Shock said she hopes the event was an opportunity for people who have never come to the gallery to stop by and see what it has to offer.
“The art walk is a new event for our art gallery, and our reason for doing it is we want the community to become more aware of what we do at the art gallery,” Shock said. “We want to try to get it out into the community. Everyday we have people who stop by here who say ‘I’ve lived out in Searcy for ten years and I’ve never been in here.’ We love it here and we feel like it’s a treasure that people just don’t know about.”
After the Art Walk’s first hour at the Searcy Art Gallery, participants went to the Stevens Art Gallery. There, they had a chance to see art from an exhibit of the Harding Art Department in China, as well as “Picturing the Parables,” a traveling show composed of artwork from members of Christians in the Visual Arts, an international organization of professional Christian artists.
Finally, those participating in the walk went to Midnight Oil, where there was live music, and Adams exhibited a selection of his original woodblock prints.
“Most of the woodblock prints in that show are black and white, though some are in color,” Adams said. “They are all original prints, and most of the pieces in there are observations of places that I’ve been. Most of it is very accessible, it’s not difficult to understand, and they fit in well in the coffeehouse atmosphere”
Both Shock and Adams said they hope people from the community enjoyed the night, but also went away with a greater appreciation for and awareness of local art and the artists behind it.
“Art is an expression of how the artist feels about their world around them,” Adams said. “We live here in Searcy, and even though most of the students on campus are kind of insulated from the town, they are part of the community. Being able to see the world through the eyes of those around you is probably as important and insightful as going to the Louvre and seeing the world through the eyes of Leonardo, or the school of sculpturing on the island of Rhodes. There are great pieces of artwork in the world, but there are also great insights from local people who don’t have the same kind of notoriety.”
