the same night. His idea was to invite
other galleries so that instead of thirty
people attending the opening, they’d
maybe get a hundred. He originally
broached the idea to Jones, he said, but
Jones said no. When Blackman took
over, Davis made the suggestion again.
This time the answer was “let’s try it”
and a new era was born. They called it
Gallery Night.
Over the years, other businesses
joined in, staying open late, bringing in
artists, serving snacks and wine, kick-
ing off the rural holiday season in style.
A music venue was started which, over
the years, has brought in artists like Ray
Wylie Hubbard, Bonnie Bishop, and
the Derailers. Outside food vendors
were invited to set up and a parade was
organized. What began as a grass roots
organization, a “let’s have an art open
house and drink wine” affair, flew by
the seat of its pants and took on a life
of its own. The event turned into a
biannual affair for a time, and a formal
board was created. “We operated under
the Main Street umbrella 501C-3 and
eventually became our own non-profit
over 15 years ago,” Blackman said. As
the event grew, the planning started to
take at least six months, and as more
people attended and other businesses
joined in, Gallery Night evolved. Twice
a year became one big one once a year
and now ArtWalk is one of the major
events in the region. “I had no clue that
I had it in me, that I would be doing this
for so long. I’m not a perfectionist, but I
am a control freak. I’m pretty thrilled to
have done something like this for so
long and have it grow like it has,”
Blackman said.
The money that is left after the basic
needs of ArtWalk, things like music and
advertising, goes to fund the arts in the
tri-county area. They prefer to help with
supplies and specific projects, Davis
said. For example, currently the money
is building up the ceramics department
at a local high school. They’ve purchased
an extruder and slab roller among other
things. “They’re funding hand-build-
ing,” said Rachel Maxwell, who teaches
9-12th grade. They’re happy to help
anyone who asks, Davis said.
to their website.
When Blackman made the decision
to “retire” and close Kiowa Gallery at the
end of this year (December 31 is slated
as the last day), she planned on 2018
being the last ArtWalk that she would
do. Getting ready to sell the gallery
where from the event originated, it was a
natural fit to say goodbye to all of it.
Blackman said she’s still got a lot of ener-
Hall's Last C all Band, A rtW alk 2017, photo courtesy Rani Birchfield
“Montessori, Christian, Public – all
schools are welcome.”
Another beneficiary of ArtWalk is the
Alpine Public Library. ArtWalk holds a
silent art auction that was a big money-
maker, Davis said, but it got to be too
overwhelming along with everything
else. So they gave it to the library and
now the library runs it, calling it “the
biggest fundraiser of the year” according
gy but wants to focus on another of her
passions: stained glass. She’s been creat-
ing and restoring stained glass windows
and at the time of this writing, just fin-
ished a church in Marfa that took her
two months. “I was never so happy,” she
said. “I’m not the type to sit around.”
Blackman wanted to go out with a
bang, and if the weather gods feel benev-
olent (and don’t cover the region with
ice like in 2013), this could be one of the
largest ArtWalks in the town’s history. It
will be advertised on eight billboards in
Midland / Odessa and, along with the
usual local advertising, there will be a
large ad in Texas Highways magazine and
in Texas Living, a high-end magazine
distributed in Midland / Odessa,
Lubbock and San Angelo. There will be
art cars again this year along with a
parade, and Murphy Street will be
closed for a hot rod show. (And
Blackman let me in on a secret, a sur-
prise she’s working on, and let’s just say
that you don’t want to miss the parade!)
There will be music as always, but no
big-name artists on a main stage. Last
year Blackman experimented with local
musicians, strategically placing them
throughout town and got a good
response. (The free music that happens
during ArtWalk isn’t really free –
ArtWalk pays for it – and Blackman
likes the idea of local artists and bands
benefitting instead.)
As far as the gossip goes of this year
being “The Last ArtWalk,” let’s just say
the rumors are not true, at least not any
longer. “My board talked me into stay-
ing – and we’ve worked so hard to get it
to this point, it would be tough to stop
or turn it over. The sponsor letter has
built trust over the years; they (business-
es and sponsors) know what ArtWalk
does with their money. Retailers, hote-
liers, restaurants / bars – everyone’s mak-
ing money. It’s a shot in the arm for
Alpine’s economy,” Blackman said. “So,
no, it’s not the swan song; it’s epic that
we made it 25 years. It feels like we
should really all celebrate.”
For more information on ArtWalk,
email info@artwalk.com or call 432-
837-3067.
BEHIND EVERY PROJECT IS A
301 N. 5th ST
432-837-2061
MORRISON HARDWARE
SERVING ALPINE & THE BIG BEND SINCE 1928
ALPINE, TEXAS 79830
www.morrisonhardware.com
Cenizo
Fourth Quarter 2018
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