The event is enormously informative as Artwalk visitors can learn about the educational opportunities available through participating galleries, museums and individual artists.  To name a few, One Lupine Fiber Arts, the University of Maine Museum of Art, the Maine Discovery Museum, Collete’s Art Studio, artists JoAnne Houlsen and Tree Heckler offer a variety of workshops such as painting, wet felting, knitting, drawing, sewing and bookmaking.  So come out and see what each artist has to offer!

Now beginning its fourth year the Downtown Bangor Artwalk, initiated by a small group of artists a few years ago, has evolved into a full-fledged quarterly event. The DBAC is pleased to announce the following Artwalk dates for 2012:

March 16th | June 15th | August 10th | November 16th

For the event this Friday, Artwalk maps listing the participating venues and featured artists can be found at The University of Maine Museum of Art, Metropolitan Soul, Blue Heron, The Rock and Art Shop and One Lupine Fiber Arts.  Check out a list & map of venues for the March 2012 Artwalk

River City Cinema will host a screening of Pina on Friday, March 16th during the Downtown Bangor Artwalk. Pina is a feature-length dance film with the ensemble of the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, featuring the unique and inspiring art of the great German choreographer, who died in the summer of 2009.

The film, by German filmmaker Wim Wenders (Paris, Texas, Buena Vista Social Club), takes the audience on a sensual, visually stunning journey of discovery into a new dimension: straight onto the stage with the legendary Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch ensemble, following the dancers out of the theatre into the city and the surrounding areas of Wuppertal – the place, which for 35 years was the home and centre for Pina Bausch’s creativity.

If you have not yet experienced the diversity of what River City Cinema has to offer, it is time to give them a chance. What these folks do is pretty darn cool. They have remained one of this city’s best kept secrets for over a decade, exposing audiences to the vast spectrum of independent and international cinema and working tirelessly to bring films to Bangor that otherwise would have no exposure here. Tell a friend, grab a few bucks for popcorn and go see for yourself what the rest of us already know.

The Downtown Bangor Arts Collaborative is calling all artists, DBAC members and interested participants to register for the first Artwalk of 2012 on Friday, March 16th.  Let’s make it another great evening for all art-goers!   If you are new to the event, there are a number of ways to get involved.  Just choose one of the following:

Sign on for a Membership and/or register for the event following any of the links below.

Membership Registration Form | Artwalk Registration Form

Then, fill out the attached Registration form and along with your payment drop it off or mail it to:

DBAC Treasurer, Jodi Clayton
One Lupine Fiber Arts
170 Park Street  Bangor, ME 04401-5024

http://www.onelupine.com/

Make sure you sign up before the registration deadline is Thursday, March 1st.  Thank you!

March 16th | June 15th | August 10th | November 16th

All Artwalks are on Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Downtown Bangor Arts Collaborative (DBAC) promotes cultural awareness in the city of Bangor, Maine through arts-related events and educational programming. Since the fall of 2008, the Downtown Bangor Artwalk has been a mainstay of the Bangor arts scene. This free, Friday night open studio tour draws crowds in the hundreds downtown to meet local artists, and to spend a night on the town shopping, dining and socializing.

After many months of grassroots effort and planning, the Downtown Bangor Arts Collaborative (DBAC) achieved official status in June of 2010 as a Non-Profit Cultural organization in the State of Maine. The next step in our evolution is filing for 501(c)3 status at the federal level. We hope to announce clearing this hurdle by the end of 2012.

Based on the belief that shared experiences build community, DBAC plans to expand the Downtown Artwalk and to create educational programming for all age groups. Our goal is to engage as many people as possible in the Bangor region in appreciating, making, and supporting the arts. We welcome ideas, energy, and feedback from artists and audiences alike.

Warm your spirits and get in the mood for this holiday season at the next Downtown Bangor Artwalk from 5pm to 9pm on November 18^th.  To spread the gift of giving this season, the Downtown Bangor Arts Collaborative will be sponsoring a one-night food drive during the event to help in the fight against hunger.  Artists and participating locations will be collecting non-perishable items to be donated to the Shaw House.  This is a great opportunity to help raise food for those in need this time of year.  The process is simple:  bring a nutritious non-perishable food item to the Artwalk with you and leave it at any listed location on the Artwalk map in the receptacle provided.

A good place to start the tour is the busy 170 Park Street building.  Here you can watch a felting or spinning demonstration by local Fiber Artist Jodi Clayton.  Michael Shyka will be at work in his studio creating hand painted silk textiles.  Upstairs, take the opportunity to meet John Vincent who experiments with artistic methods of letterpress printing and will have a press on site.  Russ D’Alessio will fill the walls with many of his vibrant acrylic paintings.

On your way down the hill, stop at Norumbega Hall and visit the University of Maine Museum of Art to catch one of the following exhibits: The Global Lens, by Dominic Chavez; Studio Life by Carlo Pittore and Constructions by Abe Ajay.

Central Street will be full of activity with artists inspired by nature at 31 Central Street, including Bird Home creator David Dail – hosted by photographer Cheryl Daigle – bringing Maine’s outdoors inside.  Downstairs, The Briar Patch will host Ben Bishop, artist of Donn Fendler’s new book/graphic novel, Lost Trail.  Finally, Artists at 9 Central Street such as Page Eastman, JoAnne Houlsen, Tree Heckler and John LeBlanc invite you to experience painting, fiber arts and fine art photography.

Another aspect of the DBAC food drive is a real focus on “giving the good stuff,” which encourages people to donate the kinds of foods that have the most impact at a pantry—such as peanut butter, canned tuna fish, and canned vegetables—rather than less nutritious snack items or even simply those foods from the back of the cabinet that rarely get eaten. According to health experts, meat and poultry are nutrient dense foods and can be especially helpful to people who need more protein including youth, pregnant women and the elderly.  So bring nutritious, non-perishable food.  Here’s a list of suggestions from the Shaw House:

Canned Meals: Stews, Soups, Tuna, Ravioli, Lasagna, etc.
Peanut Butter, Canned Vegetables
Grains: Cereal, Rice, Pasta and Dried Beans
Fruits: Fruit cups, Dried Fruit, Applesauce, 100% Juice and Juice Boxes
Rice, Pasta and Dried Beans
Kid-Friendly Items: Granola Bars, Popcorn, Graham or Animal Crackers, Fat-free/Sugar-free Pudding Cups
Hygiene Items: Toothpaste, Feminine Products, Shaving Items, Hand Sanitizer, Soap, etc.
Paper Products: Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, etc.

The DBAC’s food drive efforts are a great example of what’s happening nationwide notes DBAC Secretary Sally Gilbert: “More so now than ever, people are stepping up to serve their communities, and are realizing that hunger is a reality in every town, not only in our most challenged communities. Anyone attending the Artwalk, its members and participants should be proud of this effort.”

The November Artwalk is a great way to celebrate the spirit within the community, its creativity and the ability to give to those who are in need.

View a map of participating artists and locations.

Supporters can track the success of the DBAC’s food drive at:  www.facebook.com/DowntownBangorArtsCollaborative.

For more information, please contact Jodi Clayton at 207-299-6716 or onelupine@gmail.com.

Individual Artist Members of the Downtown Bangor Arts Collaborative enjoy these benefits:

There will be six Artwalks presented by the DBAC in 2012. The registration period for the next Downtown Bangor Artwalk will begin in December of 2011. For more information please contact info@downtownartscollaborative.org