the arts walk

With the impending opening of the Durham Performance Arts Center, the national acclaim received from the El Greco to Velázquez exhibit and the addition of new galleries such as Golden Belt, it is no overstatement to claim the Bull City art scene is booming.

Those interested in peeking into the various nooks and crannies of Downtown can partake of the semiannual Art Walk, organized by the Durham Arts Council. With more than 200 artists and 50 locations participating in this weekend's event, viewers will get a taste of the diverse but unrestrained atmosphere of Durham.

"People enjoy [the walk] because it's fairly low key," said DAC Director of Artist Services Margaret DeMott. "You can come for 20 minutes [or] you can do it for four hours. The participants can structure it [themselves]."

The walk has expanded each year since its modest beginnings in 1997, when downtown artists and businesses organized it as a grassroots event. This weekend, 15 new sites-including Somerhill Gallery, Golden Belt and yoga center Patanjali's Place-are offering up their spaces to host local talent. The historic Trinity United Methodist Church will also give tours highlighting its architecture.

Because the locations are more spread out this year, the Arts Council is also providing shuttle services between venues including Brightleaf Square and the Hayti Heritage Center.

Musical entertainment and dance performances are scattered throughout the weekend, with the main stage located at CCB Plaza in the heart of downtown at the corner of Corcoran and Parrish streets. A cappella, hip-hop and bagpipe sets are among the eclectic acts that will accompany the visual assemblage.

The fluid, unstructured nature of the event will allow viewers to see venues that might otherwise be overlooked, DeMott said.

"I think one of the things that is most representative of how the Arts Council and Art Walk works is that it's not a juried event," she said. "In a way, that says something about the Durham arts scene. You got to keep it open because we have such a [diversity]. If you try to keep it closed, you're going to miss something."