Idaho Falls Gallery Walk 2019 kicks off this week
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Summer will be getting a blast of culture when the Idaho Falls Gallery Walk 2019 kicks off May 2.
A local tradition for over a decade, Gallery Walk is an Idaho Falls Arts Council-coordinated event that invites art lovers to see exhibits and art pieces at art galleries and museums in downtown Idaho Falls.
“It’s an opportunity for people to come and experience some of the galleries and museums in town,” Georgina Goodlander, a spokesperson for the Arts Council, told EastIdahoNews.com. “Many different galleries and other locations open late and have free admission and often offer food and drink, and sometimes there are musical performances or artist demos.”
This year’s walk features seven different galleries in the downtown area, all within 10 minutes’ walking distance of each other. Gallery walkers are free to visit a different gallery at each or all seven galleries in one night. Think of it as a pub crawl for people who want to drink in culture.
Goodlander outlined several of Gallery Walk’s most attractive attributes.
“It’s free,” she said. “And it’s family-friendly because the Artitorioum on Broadway is one of the venues, so we encourage people to come out with their kids.”
She also said the Gallery Walk is intended to be a way for people to casually enjoy art without feeling fearful.
“People can often be intimidated by art museums and art galleries,” she said. “They feel if they don’t know enough about art, then they shouldn’t go. But Gallery Walk’s really just a chance to go try it out, enjoy some food and drink and just hang out in the different venues.”
Gallery Walk is also a good event for a date night or for getting together with friends. It even provides a chance to meet like-minded art fans and make new acquaintances.
“We always meet new people at Gallery Walk,” Goodlander said. “It’s always nice to meet people who’ve never been before and watch them discover that we have great art galleries here.”
On top of all that, Gallery Walk gives people a chance to wander around and explore downtown Idaho Falls.
“Many of the businesses stay open, too,” said Goodlander. “So as you’re enjoying the art galleries, you can eat some food or drink some drink at those places.”
Goodlander said that though Idaho Falls is a small city, a wealth of arts and culture is available. Gallery Walk gives people a chance to discover just how many art-related activities available to them.
“I came here from the East Coast, living in Baltimore,” she said. “Idaho Falls is a much smaller town, but I was very excited to discover the amount of galleries and museums we have downtown and then all the different arts programming that we do. I think that for people who might not realize what we have, Gallery Walk is a great way to discover it.”
Idaho Falls Gallery Walk 2019 events fall on the first Thursday of every month between May and October and run from 5 to 8 p.m. July’s Walk will happen on the second Thursday (due to Independence Day). You can click here to get more information.
