Downtown Boone Art Crawl Friday

By Frank Ruggiero

July has the Fourth, but Friday has the First.

The Downtown Boone Art Crawl hits the streets July 2.

Scheduled for the Friday of each month, the 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.

The Nth Degree Gallery, located at 683 W. King St., will celebrate Nthdependence Day, the gallery’s annual fundraiser, starting at 7 p.m. Work from all current members will be on display, along with new work from former members. Food and refreshments will donated from local restaurants, and there will be a raffle, with all proceeds going toward the gallery’s operating costs for the next year.

ArtWalk, 611 W. King St., will feature the work of sculptor Darla Sargeant, who will host a demonstration from 6 to 8 p.m. The gallery will serve hors d’oeuvres, as well as dramatically discounted prices on artwork, with artists offering 10 to 75 percent off regular price.

At the Jones House Community Center, 604 W. King St., the Watauga Arts Council will have its July exhibits on display. Watercolors by Ron Skelton, influenced by his trip to Turkey, will be in the Mazie Jones Gallery. In the Open Door Gallery, photographer Trudy Muegel will show her work, “The Two Highlands,” comparing similarities between the Highlands of Scotland and the High Country of North Carolina.

The Jones House will also host its weekly Concert on the Lawn, starting at 5 p.m. and featuring bluegrass and old-time music with Surefire and Meade Richter. On a similar note, Mast General Store, 630 W. King St., will host Americana band Woodgrain from 5 to 7 p.m., also showing hand-crafted jewelry by Sarah Gibbs.

Doe Ridge Pottery, 137 W. King St., will host its artists, while also serving food and wine, and beansTalk, 352 W. King St. will showcase the paintings of Treba McLean.

The BeadBox and Grateful Grounds, 585-A W. King St., will feature a Czech glass trunk show, and Hands Gallery, 543 W. King St., will feature the ceramics of Jeff Martin, jewelry by Sharon Bass and the cut-paper art of Lindsey Cero from her “Paper Snacks” line. Martin, Bass and Cero will be in the gallery, as will food and drink.

The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, 423 W. King St., will celebrate 25 years of An Appalachian Summer Festival with the opening of “Wonderful Life,” an exhibit by Stephen Siegel, winner of the 1998 Martin and Doris Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Contest.

Gladiola Girls, 549 W. King St., will feature a “Draw Your Own Discount” sale, in which customers draw their own 10- to 35-percent discount off their total purchase. They can also enjoy wine, beverages and hors d’oeuvres.

Lucky Penny, 132 Appalachian St., will remain open until 9 p.m. with a special Art Crawl sale, also featuring furniture and paintings by Michael Olsen and artwork by Liz Roberts, and Nelson’s Salon, 128 Appalachian St., will show the paintings of Katharine Mya.

The GreenHouse, 164 S. Depot St., will show the artwork of Christa Capua, photographer Ryan Sigsbey and Teresa Cerda, while Footsloggers, located at 139 S. Depot St., will have a 20-percent-off sale on all Patagonia items.

Reid’s Café, 142 S. Water St., will serve dinner from 6 to 9 p.m., and Char, 179 Howard St., will feature appetizer specials and wine sampling.

Wine to Water will host the inaugural Art Crawl After Party at Our Daily Bread, located at 627 W. King St., featuring art and live music. A percentage of proceeds from art purchases will benefit Wine to Water, a nonprofit organization that provides clean water to the needy around the world.

To round out the evening, Art Crawl Presents… and Murphy’s Restaurant and Pub, 747 W. King St., present Culture Shock, a massive collaboration of all things art, from music to dance to painting and beyond.

Starting at 6 p.m. with the King Bees Duo bringing their brand of blues to the back porch, Culture Shock continues at 9 p.m. with hometown bluegrass from Boss Hawg with Mark Schimick (of Larry Keel and Natural Bridge) playing mandolin and Boone’s own Arthur Grimes clogging. At midnight, Brian Smith and Michael Masters will perform a slap ’n’ tap acoustic guitar and bucket exhibition, and from 12:30 to 2 a.m., electronica band Clustar will feature a light show, break dancers and live painting.

Other regularly participating galleries and businesses include Boone Saloon, Macado’s, The Collective on Depot, the Downtown Boone Post Office, Mellow Mushroom, Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, Café Portofino, the Downtown Boone Development Association, High Country Press, Boone Drug, Cha Da Thai, Ink Link Tattoos, Earth Fare, Black Cat Burrito, Capone’s Pizza & Bar, Open Door Gallery, Looking Glass Gallery, Vidalia, Fat Cat’s and Tupelo’s World Café.

The Downtown Boone Art Crawl lasts from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., though shops typically close at 7:30 p.m.