Not Just for Galleries: Art Walk's Success Leads to Expansion

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — When the June map hits the Downtown Art Walk site in the next few days, it’s going to look quite a bit different than it has in the past. Participation in the highly-successful once-a-month event is expanding, with retail, bar and restaurant spaces joining the collection of galleries.

Art Walk Director Bert Green says the change represents an effort to expand the event’s reach, while not taking away from its core purpose. “Since it has become so much more of a community event than before,” he said in an email, “and the emerging retail presence downtown benefits so much from Art Walk traffic, it seemed a natural fit to incorporate everyone.”

The move was in many ways just a formalization of what was already taking place on the street. Businesses had always tried to attach themselves to the Art Walk. “The Art Walk is frequently approached by other businesses which want to be included, but are not galleries,” Green said. “In some cases, they pretend to be galleries by showing art just to try and qualify.”

The expanded sponsorship categories allow these businesses to take a legitimate part in the evening, while also furthering the Art Walk’s efforts. The raised funds go into expanded outreach, with the goal of bringing more visitors to the event and the neighborhood.

While the official deadline for sponsorship was May 31st, the chance to participate hasn’t been closed. Sponsorships run from June 2008 (though the late date might mean missing the June map) to May 2009, and is $500 for retailers, bars and restaurants. The sponsorship package can be downloaded as a PDF from the Art Walk site.