Downtown Boone Art Crawl Friday

Hosted every first Friday of the month (this time on Nov. 4), the Downtown Boone Art Crawl sees area galleries and businesses open their doors in celebration of art, community and a combination of the two, oftentimes served alongside refreshments and live music.

Appalachian State University’s Turchin Center for the Visual Arts (423 W. King St.) is celebrating two artists and one new exhibition – “My World: New Works by Gabriel Lehman,” on display in the Catwalk Community Gallery. Lehman creates landscapes and scenes with a unique style that stirs up childhood memories of simpler times, when imaginations were allowed to run wild. Meanwhile, painter and installation artist Val Lyle will be on hand to talk with guests about her exhibition, “Sanctuary,” on display in the Mayer Gallery through Jan. 21, 2012. Other exhibitions include “Selections: Works from the Turchin Center Permanent Collection” through Dec. 3, “The Halpert Biennial ’11” through Dec. 3 and John Scarlata’s “Living in the Light: A Retrospective & Other Works” through Jan. 21, 2012.

Hands Gallery (543 W. King St.) is featuring Roger and Kristin Brodt, owners of Miters Touch Woodworking. Their work includes custom wood tables, mirrors, benches and stools, as well as wine balances and additional small gift items. They also have a special new piece, a grandfather clock, which is the beginning of a woodworking master series of grandfather clocks that Roger is creating in the style of artists like Stickley and James Krenov. Focusing on custom and commission furniture pieces, Miters Touch offers the finest in quality wood craftsmanship. Hands will remain open until 8 p.m. for the art crawl.

Gladiola Girls (549 W. King St.) will display paper dolls by Susan Roth, while OASIS (Opposing Abuse with Service, Information and Shelter) Inc. will host a raffle for an iPad 2. Food and beverages will be provided.

Alchemy Coffee (585 W. King St.) is hosting, in part, the work of ASU art instructor Joe Bigley’s Foundations 2 art class, titled “Inflated.” Bigley said the work is just that, either the interpretation of the term or actually using it as a sculptural mechanism. The students’ work varies, some including digital video, while others range from 3 feet to 20 feet in size.

Doe Ridge Pottery (585 W. King St., Suite D) will feature Patti Carmen Whitehead, who is offering a “Kids and Clay” evening. With parental supervision, children can let their imagination run with their hands in clay. Firing fees will apply if they choose to keep their creations.

The Watauga Arts Council and Jones House Community Center (604 W. King St.) is hosting art in all three of its galleries. Teresa Cerda’s work will be displayed in the Mazie Jones Gallery, this exhibition a continuation of a work she’s been developing over the years – her observation of the forms and colors of nature. Sharon Sharp visits the Open Door Gallery, bringing her creative handmade books. Sharp specializes in designing and creating limited-edition artists’ books, often described as “sculptural” and incorporating widely varying features – origami folds, tunnels, pop-ups, envelopes and more.The Serendpity Gallery hosts Janie Endress, a multimedia artist under the instruction of Marsha Holmes. A reception runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m., complete with refreshments.

ArtWalk (611 W. King St.) gets muddy, hosting Seagrove-based potters Tony Mitchell and Beau Williams of Mudd Pottery. Williams is a graduate of Lees-McRae College, and Mitchell is the only African-American potter working in the Seagrove community. Their hand-built pieces are popular sellers at ArtWalk and are offered in bold, unusual glazes, such as butter yellow and a signature vibrant red.

Mudd Pottery travels the festival circuit up to 48 weekends a year, selling brie bakers, birdhouses, bacon cookers, and more all over the country. Other items available at ArtWalk include deviled egg trays, decorative vases, flowerpots, and holiday ornaments. Mudd Pottery is located on the main level of the store.

Anna Banana’s (641 W. King St., Suite 1) hosts artist Jason English, along with its regular – though anything but – art crawl special of “Dance for Your Discount,” where a customer’s best dance moves earns 10 percent off their total purchase. There’s also free food from Char and wine from Glug. Earlier in the day, from noon to 6 p.m., Anna Banana’s is hosting a bake sale to benefit Change a Life – Uganda, with proceeds benefiting a local family adopting a child from Uganda. The bake sale will continue on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Shear Shakti, 693 W. King St. is hosting artist Lorie hill from 7 to 10 p.m.

The Art of Oil (819 W. King St.) will open its doors from 5 to 9 p.m., featuring paintings and new sculptures by Davis Whitfield, along with a wine tasting. This month’s focus is chocolate, meaning crawlers can expect to taste chocolate wine, complemented by chocolate cakes to taste with the gallery’s assortment of dessert balsamic vinegars.

Custard Depot (158 S. Depot St.) is offering a buy two, get one free special on kids-, small- and regular-sized custard.

Char (179 S. Howard St.) will host Gabriel Lehman, who will work on a live painting for the crawl, starting at 6 p.m. Lehman is donating 100 percent of the painting’s sale to the Hunger and Health Coalition. To complement the show, Char is offering house wine at $5 per glass and buy one, get one free appetizers until 8 p.m. for all crawlers.

Join Our Art Crawl Roundup

If your business participates in the Downtown Boone Art Crawl, send your goings-on to (frank@mountaintimes.com) for a spot in next month’s Downtown Boone Art Crawl Roundup.