The sixth annual East Buntyn Artwalk will be this Saturday starting at 2 p.m. in the historic East Memphis neighborhood.
Started in April 2010, the East Buntyn Artwalk is an outdoor art festival with live music to celebrate local artist and their Artwork. The event is free and child and pet friendly.
“It is a fun and entertaining event for all ages. We got music, food, and great art,” said Stefanie Born, the co-chair of the East Buntyn ArtWalk.
The ArtWalk came to from a couple of neighbors, who got their exercise by walking through the neighborhood, and had the idea to help local artists.
The first ArtWalk had only nine artists on displace and had about 25 visitors. Luckily, the event has grown every year and has had as many as 500 people attend one year. This year the ArtWalk will have 60 artists on displace.
The goal of the ArtWalk is to help artists in marketing their work, providing an opportunity for neighbors to become better acquainted and to increase the public awareness about the East Buntyn neighborhood and its diverse and vital people.
The artwork is all displayed on the front lawns and porches of houses in East Buntryn. All of the artwork is from local artists that either live in East Buntyn, the city of Memphis, or the Mid-South. There will be a variety of art work on displace including watercolor, oil, photography, pottery, textiles, woodworking, jewelry, and stained glass. This year the ArtWalk will feature a new type of art completely made out of tires. The tire artwork will be from Tire Art Design. There will also be some artwork on display from University of Memphis students.
“We have had University of Memphis students display their art every year and it has been great,” Born said.
The art work on display will be for sale by the artist. A visitor can also purchase artwork donated by the artists at the silent auction. Along with the silent auction the ArtWalk sells wine glasses to make money. These are the only ways the event makes money and is all volunteer.
Along with the local artwork on display, the ArtWalk will provide visitors the chance to hear music from three local bands. The bands will be preforming are Creepy Neighbor, Nora Tucker and Guest, and Tequila Mockingbirds. The live music will be from 2-7 p.m. and be held at St. James Anglican Church, which is located in the center of the neighborhood.
Along with the music, St. James Church will serve as the hub of the ArtWalk. This is where the silent auction and food trucks will be located. Also at the church will be maps of the neighborhood so visitors can find the locations of their favorite artists.
There will be four food trucks at the church to service the ArtWalk visitors. The food trucks that will be there are Lickety Split, Rock’ N Dough, Farm 2 Cart, and Say Cheese.
Cindie Kelly, the co-chair of the ArtWalk for the past two years, has been an East Bunty resident since 1998. Kelly says the ArtWalk is a great way for Memphis student to have a great time listening to live music, meeting people in the area, and a great way to show support for the community.
“The ArtWalk helps to put the neighborhood and Memphis in a bright and positive light,” Kelly said.
