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An artful way to revitalization
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| | | An art walk in Northport is the brainchild of Caffè Portofino owner Lisa Harris. Courtesy Lisa Harris | |
October 14, 2009 | 05:10 PM
Bringing people to Northport Village to sample its art, shops, restaurants and taverns is what one coffee shop owner has in mind in developing an "art walk" for the community.
Although the concept is still in the early planning stages, Lisa Harris, owner of Caffè Portofino, is working behind the scenes to establish an art walk similar, albeit on a smaller scale, to the Ventura Artwalk in California — a two-day celebration each spring and fall of art, music and community.
Popular in many cities around the country, art walks offer mapped pedestrian routes where people start at one end of town, stopping along the way to view exhibited artwork, Harris explained. She envisions monthly events in Northport, probably on Friday evenings.
"From what I can gather, it brings tons of people to the town, similar to what was happening on Tuesday night street openings," Harris said.
To draw people into their establishments, shop and restaurant owners might offer freebies like wine tastings, Harris said. "I imagine that each person who participates will come up with a little something like that to offer," said Harris, who would offer patrons free coffee.
Harris is encouraging everyone to get on board — from the Business Development Committee to the Northport Historical Society — and hopes to eventually combine some of the events with music and other entertainment near the harbor.
An art walk would be a boon to the 400 artists represented through her organization, said Lauren Paige, executive director of the Northport Arts Coalition.
Many people have been receptive to the idea, Harris said, although some restaurant owners who don't already exhibit art didn't see how they would fit in. She informed them they would need to display only a few pieces of artwork to participate.
Tom Kehoe, a village trustee and business development committeeman, said, "We thought it was a great idea. Any time we can showcase our local artists, or any local talent in any venue or denomination, is a great thing. And this is something that's really not going to cost anybody any money and hopefully will encourage people to appreciate artwork, and maybe buy some of it, and at the very least maybe come into some shops and stores that they would not normally frequent."
LaMantia Gallery is always up for any event, co-owner James LaMantia said. "Anything that would make the town more interesting, that would drive people into the village, that would make the village more of an exciting, dynamic place, we're all for it," LaMantia said.
Artisan House owner Kathie Kitts said, "It adds uniqueness to the town and will bring people in."
Noting that his Northport Tasting Room & Wine Cellar has a new exhibit every six weeks, Matthew Spirn said it would be great if an art walk could attract lots of people to the downtown area. "If it exposes them to good artwork and to the businesses that Northport has to offer, I think it's a win-win."
Despite the collective enthusiasm, Harris said the art walk is a work in progress: "I don't see anything happening until the spring. I want to do it right and it's really a huge undertaking. So I don't want to rush it."
Kehoe noted, "Its success will depend on the commitment of the volunteers to get the thing going."
Other than some nominal advertising costs, the art walk would be free.
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