The Huntington Village Art Walk ties art and commerce in a unique Long Island town
Huntington may be known for its fantastic restaurants, but there’s an active, bustling art community in the town as well. The town, its establishments, and even its local Chamber of Commerce embrace the link between art and commerce as a driver of traffic to the Huntington Village area, and traffic equals dollars to the local economy.
Wendy Curtis, the owner of the newly-relocated to 7 Wall Street Huntington Art Center – a Huntington establishment since 1957 – spearheads the annual event, which features a self-guided tour of Huntington Village’s local arts establishments and community organizations’ spaces.
Wendy started the event in 2016. “I started the Art Walk in our community because people were coming in to our shop wondering where they could buy art for their home, and they didn’t want to go in to the city,” said Wendy. “They didn’t know about all the places right here in the Village! When I reached out to the Arts Council and the Museum, I found out the idea for an art walk had been tossed around in the past, but was never implemented…there wasn’t anything bringing the art venues together. So, I jumped on it and here we are, 8 years later and it’s turned into a fabulous event!”
For the fall 2024 event, which runs from 12-5pm on Sunday, October 6th, 11 stops are highlighted on a map – available free at an information table manned by volunteers from the Huntington Chamber’s Arts and Experiences Committee. All locations are within the village and are walkable, with the stops numbered for a sequential walking tour.
Stops all feature Huntington Village local businesses and organizations:
- The fotofoto gallery at 14 West Carver Street
- The D. Velez Art Gallery at 380 New York Avenue
- digho at Len Marks Photography, 376 New York Avenue
- Spotlight at the Paramount, 370 New York Abvenie
- Huntington Art Center at 7 Wall Street
- The b.j. spoke gallery at 299 Main Street
- The Huntington Public Library at 338 Main Street
- The Huntington Historical Society’s Soldiers & Sailors Building at 228 Main Street
- The Heckscher Museum of Art inside Heckscher Park, 2 Prime Avenue
- The Calling Bell, 51 Gibson Avenue.
“By organizing the art walk, I hoped to help bring art into the public eye, foster a stronger sense of local pride, and create a platform where residents and visitors alike could engage with and appreciate the richness of our artistic culture,” says Wendy. “We’ve since created a vibrant neighborhood where local artists can showcase their work and connect with the community. Our town has so much creative talent, but it was often underrepresented and hidden away. It’s been amazing to see how this event has not only highlighted individual talents but also strengthened our community bonds.”
Grab a printable copy of the flyer and head out to Huntington Village!
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