Georgetown Main Street, an organization that supports small businesses in the Georgetown neighborhood, showcased neighborhood art at its fourth annual Art Walk on March 22.
The Art Walk, which allows attendees to explore artwork at galleries and businesses across locations along Wisconsin Avenue, featured 13 vendors this year, aiming to bring tourism to Georgetown and support the local neighborhood galleries. According to event organizers, nearly 2,000 people attended, an 87% increase in foot traffic from last year.
Rachel Shank, the event organizer, said the Art Walk is special because it brings people together in uncertain times.
“I think that there’s something really special in times of division, like we’re in right now, and in times of economic uncertainty, to create opportunities and spaces for people to come together for free to have a fun and enjoyable experience,” Shank told The Hoya.
“I felt really proud and happy to see such a great turnout on behalf of the art world,” Shank added. “There is so much great art to see in D.C. and it was nice to see the community show up and appreciate it. It was also a great opportunity to interact with fellow art lovers.”
Shank said the Art Walk looked to bring tourists to Georgetown and promote small businesses in the neighborhood.
“We want people to come to Georgetown for free and be able to see beautiful things, alongside regular everyday people, and find things that stir their emotions and potentially identify pieces that resonate with them enough to want to take them home,” Shank said. “But ultimately for people to come and discover small businesses and be alongside one another.”
A dozen local venues were featured in the Art Walk, including some of Georgetown’s most well-known galleries like L’Enfant Gallery and Shop Made in D.C.
Members of the Georgetown University Art Ambassadors (GUAA), a student-led organization that connects students with contemporary art, volunteered at Art Walk to engage with artists in the Georgetown neighborhood.
Laura Shelton (CAS ’28), the co-chair of GUAA, said the Art Walk was a great opportunity for the D.C. community to appreciate local art.
“I felt really proud and happy to see such a great turnout on behalf of the art world,” Shelton wrote to The Hoya. “There is so much great art to see in D.C. and it was nice to see the community show up and appreciate it. It was also a great opportunity to interact with fellow art lovers.”
Maeve Reicher (CAS ’27), the other co-chair of GUAA, said volunteering at the event exposed her to the unique types of art found in Georgetown.
“It was just very eclectic, very different, both Western and non-Western art,” Reicher told The Hoya. “And it’s kind of crazy to think that this is right in our backyard, and people aren’t going to these galleries enough.”
Reicher said the event exemplifies GUAA’s role in the Georgetown community.
“It felt really lovely because it was one of our most successful events, and as a new club, my heart was so full at the end because it really affirmed to me that the club is so necessary and it had to be established,” Reicher said. “It just kind of justified why I’m doing this and that I love the work I do.”
Reicher added that the Art Walk allowed gallerists and Georgetown students to connect with one another.
“These galleries have been here for a long time, but a lot of the gallerists were saying that the university, to them, is just something that’s a part of Georgetown, and they don’t really connect with students that often,” Reicher said. “So I think to be able to have a day where we open those doors and build those relationships with people was really special.”
Reicher said she enjoyed the positive reaction that Washington Printmakers Gallery, a cooperative gallery in Washington, D.C., earned from attendees during the Art Walk.
“They said that it was the most amount of people, ever, in one day to come into their store and see their art and sell their art than they’ve ever had, and they’ve been there for 15 years, so it was really awesome to see that,” Reicher said.
Shank said she hopes those who attended the Art Walk gained a new perspective on Georgetown.
“Georgetown is more than just M Street, it’s more than just a collection of stores that you can find at any commercial district,” Shank said. “We have these really unique and interesting boutique businesses that are run and managed by cool, local people. Hopefully, these folks found an artist or a gallery or a small business that they want to come back to in the future.”