Twelve years ago, Trudy Van Dop put a small advertisement in the Record about an art walk. There were seven or eight venues on the list, she recalls, and roughly 30 to 50 people came out.
Today, the New West Cultural Crawl attracts thousands of art enthusiasts each year (about 5,000 people came out in 2014), and 2015 should be no exception. The 12th annual event takes place next weekend, Aug. 8 and 9, stretching across six neighbourhoods, with 22 venues and more than 50 artists.
“I believe each community has its own unique cultural foot print, and it gives residents, as well as visitors, a chance to recognize New Westminster is unique and creative,” Van Dop said.
The inspiration behind the Cultural Crawl was to shine a light on local talent, who she said are “thrilled” to have a vehicle to showcase their work.
“It encourages artists to really get better at what they do. It’s a profession and it’s difficult for artists to make a living. … When you sell a piece of your work, it’s validating your creativity,” said Van Dop.
For art lovers, it’s an opportunity to meet the artist and ask questions, she noted.
“When you buy an original piece of art, the essence of that artist is in that canvas, so when you actually have an opportunity to meet the person behind the work, to ask some questions about the inspiration or technique, it’s a really simple recipe. You buy what you like, and you like what you buy.”
There’s a variety of media on display this year, including fabric art by Judy Villett at 100 Braid Street Studios. Newly formed Sixth Street Popup + Gallery, meanwhile, will have a mixed-bag of local art.
“We wanted to keep it grassroots, so we decided to do a call for submission, and to date, we have almost 60 submissions,” owner Jennifer Pistone said. “I imagine people (have) their fingers crossed, hoping they’re going to get their piece in.”
Tips to covering a lot of ground during the two-day event, according to Van Dop, include creating an itinerary beforehand. The Cultural Crawl brochure, which can be found at newwestculturalcrawl.com, recommends checking out Victory Heights and Sapperton on Saturday, and heading downtown, Uptown and over to the West End on Sunday, ending the day in Queensborough with live music and refreshments at the Port Royal Community Gardens.
Parents are encouraged to bring their little ones. There won’t be any Do Not Touch signs, so parents are asked to check with the artist about which objects can be handled.
The Cultural Crawl runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
