By ALIN HETT and GERARD WELLBROCK
The Hays Arts Council is preparing to bring art, music, food and people together in downtown Hays for the Fall Art Walk on Friday.
Conducted four times throughout the year, the Hays Art Walks give the community an opportunity to experience different forms of art.
Chandler Reich, Hays Arts Council executive director, said the fall event has become one of the more popular art walks of the year.
“The fall art walks are probably one of our more attended events,” Reich said. “I know that we've been doing them for a very long time, and they've been very well loved.”
Reich said the fall art walk will be different from others.
“Each art walk has something special, has a different vibe, a different season to celebrate,” Reich said, “and so there's always something different going on.”
This fall, part of that focus will be welcoming Fort Hays State University students back to Hays and encouraging them to make their way from campus into the downtown community.
“For the fall art walk, we're really excited to be welcoming back the Fort Hays students back on campus,” Reich said, “and so we'll have tons of students downtown.”
Reich said the event will feature art exhibitions, author tables, live music, food trucks and other activities throughout the evening. She also said while art gives people a reason to attend, the art walk is also about creating an opportunity for people to spend time together downtown.
“The art is the draw, but the people are where it's at for sure,” Reich said.
The Fall Art Walk is scheduled from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., with activities spread across several locations.
Visitors can get an early start at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History from 4 to 6 p.m. Those who show an Art Walk schedule will receive free admission to view Paulette van Henterly Carlin's “Transforming the Tide” exhibition.
The Hays Arts Council will officially kick off the evening at 6:30 p.m. with the closing reception for “Seeds and Spirit,” a dual exhibition featuring ceramicist Taylor Wines and printmaker Justin Miller.
Reich said the two artists' work complements each other despite using different mediums.
“The imagery is so strong and the symbolism is so strong in their work,” she said. “It's really just like an amazing conversation between two artists in a physical space.”
The Downtown Pavilion will add another element to the evening with live music from Buffalo Bridge from 7 to 9 p.m. Food and a lemonade stand will also be available, including what Reich said will be the first food truck she has brought in for an art walk.
The Hays Public Library will participate with author tables, live music from Forrest McCurren and the “Declaration 1776: The Big Bang of Modern Democracy” exhibition in the Schmidt Gallery.
Fort Hays State University will also be represented through exhibitions from two master of fine arts students.
With visual art, literature, music and other activities spread throughout the evening, Reich said the Fall Art Walk is designed to showcase more than one form of creative expression.
“Not only do we have visual arts downtown, but we've got the literary arts at the library, and then we've also got the music and performing arts,” she said.