Expanded Art Walk to kick off Port’s summer season

An expanded number of events is expected to draw more people to Port Washington’s second annual Art Walk, which will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 29.

The event, hosted by Port Main Street Inc., was a success last year and organizers hope this year’s events will prove an ideal way to kick off the summer.

“Port Washington has such a great history and art community here,” Main Street Executive Director Kristina Tadeo said. “I’m excited to showcase that and get people involved and interested in it.

“There’s a lot going on, and we hope people will come down and make a day of it, popping into the restaurants for lunch and enjoying all there is to offer.”

The centerpiece of the day will be in the Ozaukee County Administration Center parking lot off Grand Avenue where a chalk art competition and Festival de Arte will be held.

The chalk art competition will follow a theme of Sweet Summertime, with participants chalking their artwork on designated areas in the parking lot from noon to 3 p.m.

Judging will be from 3 to 4 p.m., when the winners will be announced.

There will be prizes for children ages 5 to 12, children 13 and older and adults, and teams or families.

The registration fee is $10 for individuals and $20 for teams. To register, visit Main Street’s Facebook page or website.

The Festival de Arte will include a variety of Latin art, including performances by the Septeto Charambo salsa band and the award-winning Salsabrosa Dance Co. Salsa lessons will also be offered.

A flamenco dancer will perform and explain the dance tradition, and a children’s song and dance time will be held in Spanish.

Mirabel from “Encanto” will be on hand to pose for pictures with children, and Latino artists and artisans will be set up in the lot.

Tadeo noted that Telemundo will do a five-minute segment on the festival.

This year’s event will feature roughly 20 local and regional artists working on the sidewalk in front of downtown businesses, as well as several art demonstrations to be held throughout the day.

There will be two children’s art stations where they can paint rocks and do origami, as well as an artful face painting area.

The Jackson Street retaining wall east of Franklin Street will be used for chalk painting — a popular event last year, Tadeo said.

“The wall filled up quickly with works that were really beautiful,” she said, adding Main Street will provide the chalk for the project.

The Port Washington Historical Society will do a fabric art installation at the Light Station. The project is a secret that will be set up just before the festival and unveiled as the event starts, Tadeo said.

“It’s going to be very cool,” she said. “They’re very excited about it.”

Artists and musicians will also be at the Light Station, she said.

A global art project, Mural Mosaic, will be part of the event, selling mosaic kits. People can buy the kits for $20 during the event — normally they are $40 — make their pieces at home and then submit them to Mural Mosaic, which is working to reconnect people as the pandemic slows.

The organization is working to create murals across Canada, the United States and Europe, Tadeo said.

Gallery 224 is planning a children’s plein air art competition, which will run from May 21 to 28, with the youngsters’ art pieces exhibited during Art Walk, Tadeo said.

There will also be public art displays throughout downtown, including exhibits by several Port photographers, as well as live local music at the corner of Franklin and Washington streets. An open mic time is also possible, Tadeo said.

There will be an Art Walk raffle, with people who make a $5 purchase at five participating businesses receiving a raffle ticket. The prize will be a downtown gift basket.