15th annual Birmingham Artwalk highlights downtown’s economic growth

Courtesy artsBHAM

When the Birmingham Artwalk began in 2002, only a handful of businesses, artist studios and two restaurants, including John’s City Diner, were a part of it.

Over the course of 15 years, the neighborhood has undergone a drastic and exciting change, said Joy Myers, executive director of Artwalk. 

“Part of our mission has always been to show the economic opportunity that downtown offers and create a weekend to show what a vibrant downtown would look like. Fifteen years later and a tremendous amount of development throughout the city brings us much closer to that goal,” she said.

Artwalk is a weekend festival that transforms Birmingham’s historic Loft District into an arts district, featuring the work of more than 100 visual artists, live musicians, street performers, food and drink vendors and children’s activities. Slated for Sept. 9-10, the event spans Morris Avenue, First and Second Avenues North and is free to the public. 

“For the kids, we feature the Artwalk KidZone on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Located under the 22nd Street viaduct on Morris Avenue, local artists and volunteers lead children through individual and collaborative art projects,” Myers said.

Musical acts include The Twin Heart Trap, The Starlings, Taylor Hollingsworth, GIRLS ROCK, Erynias Tribe, DJ Rocko and Creature Camp.

For the past two years, more than 10,000 people have walked the streets during the two-day event. The art itself is varied in medium and price. “While collectors will find exquisite pieces to add to a collection, young patrons beginning to collect will find affordable works of art as well,” Myers said.

Participating artists are predominantly from Birmingham and surrounding communities, showcasing the wealth of local talent. 

This year’s Artwalk is presented by Urban Standard and will feature artists Allan and Sarah Woodall, a husband-and-wife artistic team. 

Allan Woodall received a formal education in art, focusing on printmaking and digital media, and is now an illustrator, designer, printmaker and painter. His “SpatterBeasts” illustrations are vibrantly colorful. 

Sarah Woodall is a self-taught painter and designer known locally for her skyline series of Birmingham. 

The two artists collaborated on works that depict monsters roaming around popular Magic City sites. “The combination of animals and the city is a joining of two of our passions,” Sarah Woodall said. “I paint Birmingham and Allan illustrates creatures, so we wanted to create some collaborative pieces that merged both worlds.”

Artwalk has partnered with many organizations over the years, but has a new partnership this year with Kuumba Community Art's teen design team in Ensley.

The program started in 2013 with the goal to help youth develop careers in the arts and graphic design. Students ages 14 to 16 from the Birmingham area are recruited to participate in a youth design academy.

For more information, go to birminghamartwalk.org.