Downtown Aurora will look and feel like a giant art gallery Sunday, with the 10th annual Art Walk offering a combination of art and music.
Cindy McClellan, one of the event’s founders and organizers, said several changes have been made to this year’s event, beginning with the move to Sunday.
“This is the first time we’ve moved it to Sunday because we’re trying to avoid Husker mania,” McClellan said. “We’re also going to have live music and several new artists, but the biggest change is the move to Sunday.”
A silent tribute to a former Art Walk organizer was added to the downtown square last week, with “yarn bombed” trees decorated in honor of the late Jana VanHousen, who lost her battle with cancer this last year.
“This is kind of an honor for Jana,” McClellan said, recalling the day she and VanHousen teamed up in the past to decorate trees on the northwest side of the courthouse square with yarn and temporary artwork. “There is no sign or anything explaining this, but we wanted to do something to honor her.”
As an artist herself who has joined a gallery in Lincoln, McClellan said she is excited to welcome several new artists to this year’s event.
“I brought a few people over from Lincoln, so there will be some new stuff there this year,” she said. ‘We try to bring in all different forms of fine art, different media, making sure that we’re not overloaded with one media over another so there’s a good variety.”
Also back on the agenda this year will be live music. Thanks to the efforts of music coordinator Mardelle Jasnowski, Larry Molcyzk, Doris Winkler and Miles Jasnowski, her son, will be performing throughout the day.
“We will also have food trucks,” McClellan added. “The Leadership Center’s food truck will be there and we’ll have tropical snow, so those two for sure.”
The list of participating artists this year includes: Julie Crocker, Melinda Leigh, Andy Gentert, Misty Scheibel, Victoria Harper, Sarah Sorhweid, Julia Noyes, Dana Clemens, Robin Hurley, Victoria Green, Alissa Harris, Beth Gardner, Rick Rasmussen, Emily Hearten, Lynette Fast, Desiree Christenson, Myranda McCauley, Pam Apley, Larry Allder, Tanya Grosshans, Kelsey Pralle Gooder, D&M Stained Glass Designs.
