ARTS & CULTURE
Making a
Emporia is a Vibrant Hub for Artists and Art Lovers Alike
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Anyone who loves beautiful things and meeting cool people will appreciate Emporia’s thriving art scene. With murals, galleries, local shops and a monthly art walk, there are numerous ways to experience and support the work of Emporia’s talented art community. EMPORIA FIRST FRIDAY (emporiafirstfriday.com) art walks are the perfect place to experience vibrant local culture, as well as support local artists and businesses and connect with the community. Emporia First Friday, or EFF, is the brainchild of Executive Director Kaila Mock and Events Specialist Joel Smith. The event has been instrumental in fostering local artists and expanding access to art in Emporia. Held on the first Friday of every month, between 10 to 20 downtown businesses host an artist and exhibit their work. From mediums as broad as paintings in watercolors and oils to ceramics and fiber arts, as well as music and poetry, everyone can find something that speaks to their soul. It's also a casual and easy way to spend an evening. Just pick up your free Art Walk Passport from any participating venue. Then stroll down Commercial Street at your own pace and visit as many of the art exhibitions as you like. Chat with artists and browse their works and the participating businesses’ wares. If you want to enter to win the passport prize, collect a stamp from the featured presenting venue plus at least seven participating businesses and turn in your passport at Mulready’s Pub by 8:00 p.m. to be entered in the drawing. Mock is also part of the Community Arts Alliance, an organization dedicated to enhancing public art opportunities. The Alliance has been instrumental in organizing and financing murals throughout the town. Recent additions include a floral mural on the building at 105 E. 12th Avenue, set up as a paint-by-number project for EFF attendees to participate in creating. Other recent additions are the Hispanic Heritage mural and the Faces of Emporia mural, a wheat paste collage of 188 photographs of local Emporians photographed by Dave Leiker. If you want opportunities to purchase art, Emporia has you covered. In addition to buying directly from artists at the art walks, you can visit TROX GALLERY & GIFTS (715 Commercial St) and the EMPORIA ARTS CENTER GIFT SHOP (815 Commercial St). The works of 160 artists are represented between these two stores, and the art walk regularly features new and emerging artists. “There’s all different price points and all kinds of imagery,” said Mock. “Any genre or medium that you’re looking for, you’re going to be able to find it.” The more you explore, the more you will experience what makes art vital to life. “Art can lift one out of just 'survival' mode and into something more uplifting, more hopeful,” said Onalee Nicklin, a local artist and illustrator. “Every group of people the world over throughout time has engaged in some form of art, which makes me believe it is an intrinsic, God-given part of the human race.”
20 Emporia Community Guide
