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Honorary Chair Jane Walsh
Honorary Chair Jane Walsh COMMITTED TO A VIBRANT CAPE COD
his December will mark Red Fish Blue Fish’s 25-year anniversary on Hyannis’ Main Street. During that time, owner Jane Walsh has shown her commitment to the arts, starting T with her business which initially only sold work by local artists before expanding to include artists from around the country.
When asked why she made the conscious decision to support Cape Cod artisans, the Honorary Chair for the 33rd Annual Pops by the Sea says, “I’m an artist myself… I make glass jewelry. And a lot of my friends are artists so when I first opened, it was an outlet to showcase my friends’ works. It just seemed to make sense.”
In recent years, Walsh has taken her commitment a step further when she started to represent local artists, helping to get their work into stores and galleries throughout the region. “By doing that, it has really boosted their careers,” she says. “I don’t mind helping people out. I want everyone to be successful.”
Perhaps most notably, Walsh has helped transform downtown Hyannis into a family-friendly cultural hub, complete with live bands, jugglers, stilt walkers, face painters, inflatable slides and bounce houses, free food, dance contests, exercise classes, and more. The block party, known better as Hyannis Open Streets, has been taking place four times a year since the fall of 2016.
“I started that as a way to bring the community together in a fun, friendly, safe, healthy environment,” explains Walsh.
In many ways, Hyannis Open Streets represent a throwback to simpler times when technology was not as prevalent in society as it is today. “I’m a big community person,” she says. “I like to see people talking with each other… I think we can all offer something to each other to make this world a better place.”
As Hyannis Open Streets continues to grow and evolve, Walsh is embracing her community’s latest artistic venture, serving as Vice President of the Board for the Hyannis International Film Festival, which will debut in October.
Despite her busy schedule, Walsh explains her involvement in these types of events that enrich the community: “I’m a big fan of people doing creative things on Cape Cod, whether it’s in art, film, or music.”
