A new partnership between Valdosta Main Street and the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts is drawing attention to the Valdosta City Center Arts District and providing year-round opportunities for Valdosta residents to engage the District. Funded by a More Than Murals grant through the Georgia Council for the Arts, the partnership promotes strong connections between artists, arts organizations, downtown businesses, and the public.
The one-mile Art Walk outlines a path of sidewalk art and other public art along Webster Street, N. Ashley Street, E. Hill Avenue, and N. Patterson Street. Sidewalk art was painted by artist Taylor Shaw, who also recently created a few other art pieces on Main Street. Stanchions strategically placed along the Art Walk path provide a QR code that directs people to the CCAD webpage and upcoming events taking place in the District.
“The purpose of this partnership project is to educate citizens about the CCAD,” said Assistant City Manager Catherine Ammons. “It allows people to explore the CCAD fully by choosing to follow the sidewalk art and other public art pieces to all of the destinations within the District and patronize those businesses and activities along the way. With so much growth in the Valdosta CCAD recently, this project is an engaging way-finding tool to get people talking, walking and shopping in our beautiful City.”
Monthly activities collaborated by the Main Street/Turner Center partnership will include special events such as CCAD art walks, charity fun runs, scavenger hunts, holiday activities, music crawls, and other enjoyable events that inform people about Valdosta’s creative community and the artists and businesses that work within it.
Since most of the resolutions made each year focus on getting healthier, people are encouraged to walk the CCAD daily during the month of January to help them stick to their fitness goals—while enjoying the businesses and public art pieces along the Art Walk path.
“The arts are a culturally important part of our local, regional, and state economy,” said Turner Center Executive Director Sementha Mathews. “We hope that the CCAD Art Walk and the monthly themes and events will encourage people to enjoy our beautiful arts district and continue to support our creative community.”
For more information about the CCAD, visit https://www.valdostamainstreet.com/ccad-art-walk.
