A cup of tea and a stout teapot, each adorned with a single purple flower, cozy up to a pot filled with bright blossoms that sing of spring. Needlework in progress nestled among a pile of white linens and a pair of glasses hide in the corner, awaiting their owner’s return.
This still life, painted by Bangor artist Lois Gopin, is the first of its kind to be featured on a poster for the upcoming art walk in downtown Bangor. The Downtown Bangor Arts Collaborative’s art walk will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 25, kicking off the first of four art walks scheduled for 2016.
Gopin, a new addition to the art walk, will be the featured artist for this art walk.
“She’s a new artist who contacted us about being a part of the art walk,” Shane McCarthy, chair of the organization, said. “She does not have a studio in downtown. We’ve shown or featured different artists who have studios downtown, but it’s also nice to show an artist from the Bangor community who does not have a studio downtown.”
The art walk takes place four Fridays this year: March 25, June 3, Sept. 16 and Nov. 18. It’s the hope of the Downtown Bangor Arts Collaborative that the events will become more frequent in the future.
“We want these art walks four times a year to get so popular that we can do them six times a year, eight times a year and eventually every month — that’s the goal,” McCarthy said.
The art walk originally was conceived to give exposure to local artists, especially those who have less accessible studios on upper floors in downtown Bangor. Over time the event has grown and changed, incorporating more of Bangor’s artistic community, such as Divisi, a local choral group that previously performed during the event, and a group called the Tango Bombers, who danced at various locations.
Community murals also have become an integral part of the art walk. Although there won’t be one for the first art walk this year, participants can expect to see it in the future.
“Our goal has always been to grow this into a community art event where artists work together to present their work and the community benefits by being exposed to that,” McCarthy said. “The Downtown Bangor Arts Collaborative is just that: It’s a downtown Bangor arts collaborative. We are trying to collaborate artists and art entities for the benefit of artists in the community.”
He hopes these art walks achieve such prominence as those in other Maine destinations, such as Portland and Belfast.
“Our community is a vibrant as any, but it’s not as well known,” McCarthy said.
For more information, visit http://dbac.org or the Downtown Bangor Arts Collaborative Facebook page.
