BRATTLEBORO — The Downtown Brattleboro Alliance's monthly Gallery Walk launched its 2022 season on May 6 and will continue the community celebration on the first Friday of each month from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. through December.
Gallery Walk started as a gallery tour and was originally sponsored by the Arts Council of Windham County.
At the beginning of the pandemic, the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance took over the program and created a series of virtual events. The DBA successfully put on six in-person events during the 2021 season.
“So in addition to the gallery stroll, we now have block party street closure, we have food trucks, we have a giant flea market. We have live music for free outside on Elliott Street,” said Erin Scaggs, program director of Gallery Walk.
Central to the event is “the 19 galleries that all boast new exhibits for folks to go around and visit,” she said.
DBA Executive Director Stephanie Bonin described the “joint experience” of the celebration as “the gift that gallery walk gives our community and that I feel like everyone is clamoring for.”
Scaggs also said that the event also gives the community something special: giving people here a sense of belonging. She describes the organizing of such an event as “a challenging and also really exciting task.”
“And by and large, we've been overwhelmed with positive feedback from folks who are experiencing this whole new iteration for the first time,” Scaggs said.
Scaggs said the DBA is producing 80 events this year May through December, and still looking for volunteers.
“We want those smaller local artisans to be financially successful at these events. We want our attendees to leave feeling like they've had the best time and they cannot wait until next month,” she said.