Chapel Hill/Carrboro’s 2ndFriday ArtWalk Celebrates 101st Event

Oct. 15, 2009 - PRLog -- The 2ndFriday ArtWalk of Carrboro/Chapel Hill, N.C. celebrated its 100th ArtWalk Oct. 9, 2009. In honor of the 101st ArtWalk in November, The ArtsCenter is taking over the facilitation of this monthly event and will invest the brand in the further development of the local arts community.

“Given The ArtsCenter’s mission to nurture the arts through performance, exhibition and education, we certainly embrace the goals of the 2nd Friday ArtWalk to encourage and support the visual arts in all its many forms. We are excited to take the helm of one of the most successful exhibitions in the country,” says Executive Director Ed Camp. “Our vision is to make certain that anyone who thinks of the artistic community in our area thinks of The ArtsCenter as an important part of that community.”

This well branded monthly event was founded by the late Karen Shelton, owner of Sizl Gallery in Carrboro, and Garry Meldrum, co-owner of Turning Point Gallery in University Mall and founder of Business Value Creation LLC.

More than 1 million people have attended the 2ndFriday ArtWalk in the last 9 years. With a clear mission statement, a well conceived brand and a simplified online marketing process, the ArtWalk has presented Carrboro and Chapel Hill artists’ visual arts to the world. The ArtWalk is anchored to the west by Carrboro and to the east by University Mall of Chapel Hill. The Ackland Museum, a key component of the ArtWalk, is in the geographical center.

“It was Karen Shelton’s vision in 2000,” says Meldrum, who helped Shelton launch the ArtWalk after departing from United Press International as its transition CEO. “This is an excellent example of the value of arts planning for economic community gain achieved with grassroots volunteer work.”

In March 2004 the 2ndFriday ArtWalk committee set the following goal for the 2004/2005 season: to become one of American Style Magazine’s Top 25 Art Destinations. The committee then designed a proactive branding and national marketing plan augmented by the News & Observer/Chapel Hill News and the Chamber of Commerce, which highlighted the various art programs throughout the community. Significant grassroots contributors to this effort were Greg DeWitt of DeWitt Law and Jackie Helvey, webmaster for 2ndFridayartwalk.com. The result: in 2005 the community was ranked No. 23 in American Style Magazine’s Top 25 Art Destinations, and by 2009 it was ranked No. 9.

You can learn more about 2ndFriday ArtWalk of Carrboro/Chapel Hill NC at http://2ndfridayartwalk.com and The ArtsCenter at http://www.artscenterlive.org.

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About 2ndFriday ArtWalk of Carrboro/Chapel Hill NC:
Founded in 2001, 2ndFriday ArtWalk of Carrboro/Chapel Hill NC has held a monthly artwalk with 12 to 27 venues each month. 2ndFriday ArtWalk is a registered trademark in North Carolina. For historical information about the ArtWalk, contact Garry Meldrum at garry@businessvaluecration.com. For information about the ArtsCenter’s plans for continuing the 2nd Friday ArtWalk, contact Ed Camp at director@artscenterlive.org.