29th Annual Toledo Labor Day Art Walk Recap
Casey McEneny
Thank you to everyone who joined us during Labor Day weekend for the 29th Annual Art Walk!
Toledo’s Art Walk began as a one-time event in October, 1993 as an open-studio for Michael Gibbons, a Mentor Artist for the Corvallis based Vistas & Vineyards program. Artists Douglas Haga and Ivan Kelly, recent arrivals to Toledo and neighbors of Gibbons, were invited to open their doors during the festivities. Several hundred visitors came for the event, and in 1994 and 1995 the trio of Toledo artists staged a repeat. Each artist invited a guest artist, swelling the number to six showing art. In 1996, prompted by the challenges of October weather, the Art Walk event date was changed to the three days of Labor Day weekend, where it remains to this day.
We had hundreds of art lovers from all over join us in celebrating art and artists here in Toledo. Many Art Walk goers participated in our annual raffle, and, for its inaugural year, the community mural scavenger hunt! Participants in the raffle had a chance to win a variety of art prizes donated from local galleries, and mural hunters won a print of "View of Toledo" by Michael Gibbons for their excursion efforts.
Some murals included this year have been features of the local cityscape for many years, and others are new additions to Toledo through the ART Toledo Community Mural Project, which joins together artists and interested local building owners to have new murals featured along the sides of local businesses. With the success of this year's scavenger hunt, we plan on carrying on this newfound tradition in future Art Walks.
One of the prominent mural artists featured both in the town of Toledo and in other communities along the central Oregon Coast, Casey McEneny, had a starring role in this year's Art Walk. Giving well attended art talks each day over the weekend, McEneny spoke to his beginnings as an artist and his artistic methods.
Casey's show is still on display at the Yaquina River Museum of Art through September 24th, and we encourage all to go and see it before the next new exhibit rolls in to the Museum's Schoolhouse Exhibit Space.
Participating galleries had their successes throughout Art Walk, selling originals, sculptures, mosaics, prints, cards, mugs, and art books. Art Walk is an event that both supports our talented local artisans, and connects the public to the arts community.
The Toledo Labor Day Art Walk wouldn't be what it is to this day without the generosity of our sponsors and supporters. We would like to give a special thanks to the Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund for their support this year and in years' past.
Thank you all - the artists who participated in this year's event, those who joined us from near and far, our intrepid volunteers, and our steadfast supporters and sponsors. Without you, Art Walk would not be possible. Until next time and keep the art alive!
Leave a Comment