The Lake Michigan Art Walk began in 2010 as an all volunteer effort by local artists to expand the opportunities for professional artists in the downtown Muskegon area. This collective effort is part of a larger vision to help foster a thriving art market along the lakeshore from the Grand Haven-Spring Lake area on the south end, to the White Lake-Montague area on the north side. Both neighboring localities already have strong art communities. However the regional core in Muskegon has not historically had a strong marketplace for art. So, the near-term objective is to begin to build a thriving art market in Muskegon to enhance the reputation for the entire region as a place to find quality works of art.

The Art Walk is the artists’ own “work in progress” towards developing an arts district that complements efforts of other arts area galleries and businesses, including; Jilly’s Gallery, Sun Wind and Rain, The Red Lotus, and Alley Cats. In addition to working with these businesses, the Art Walk has worked in partnership with the Muskegon Museum of Art to cross promote art events like the MMA’s Salon.

The Art Walk itself is a recurring event that showcases a wide variety of quality fine art by local professional artists. These artists work in all media, including, sculpture, painting, wood printmaking, photography, stained glass, clay-making, and more.

In 2010 three art walks were planned for this inaugural season. The anchor location for the art walks has been the lobby in the Frauenthal Performing Arts Center. Typically, from 12 to 20 artists fill the lobby with works from their collections. The public is encouraged to support its artists with purchases of original works of art or prints in some cases. In addition to the base location at the Frauenthal, the Art Walk features several extended venues in the partner galleries and shops.

While planning for the 2011 season is underway and yet to be finalized, the artists hope to be able to expand the venues to accommodate the increasing number of artists wishing to participate. As plans are completed for the 2011 season, they will be available on our website.