The welcome signs outside of Moscow deem the city as “Heart of the Arts” and as many college students realize, the community cultivates an environment passionate about the fine arts both on and off-campus.
“What residents don’t realize is how many people here are full-time artists who actually live off the money they earn from their work Moscow offers a cheap cost-of-living that gives me time to work on my craft, and so many people in this town are supportive of the arts,” said Nathan Austin, a University of Idaho art student.
Every summer in Moscow, Idaho, hundreds of people gather in the cooling June evening to take a walk around the downtown strip to gander at the work of local artists. Any medium is welcome, from fine painting and inking, to visual design and projection mapping. Local businesses open up their doors to host galleries and entertain attendees with food, drinks and shopping, as they look at the galleries of art.
Nicholas Eastman-Pratt | Argonaut
Nathan Austin, University of Idaho arts student, attends Moscow Artwalk 2016 to support his fellow local artists, hoping to sell a few prints.
The 2016 Moscow Idaho Artwalk, turned out what seemed to be one of the biggest crowds yet, with a large influx of food and art vendors. The streets were filled with the aroma of popcorn, hot dogs and gourmet mac and cheese, while musicians provided background for the block party. Many local artists decided to exhibit their work this year, and among them Austin, hopes to use the event, like many designers do, to gain exposure, and maybe even sell a few pieces. His work with Prisma-Color colored pencils to illustrate still-life fruit in his home was displayed in One World Cafe.
“I love the medium — there are so many steps to every one — it offers exposure to the artists,” Austin said. “ there is now a public event made out of it, and families can take their kids to look at everything. I have a few friends who participated that use the money they make here to actually live for months at a time … I mean all of us have that secret hope a piece might sell.”
Even with the hope to sell a piece, the opportunity for public exposure is a huge deal to local artists like Austin.
It was clear that this kind of program- ming event was important to a lot of local artists. Glass blowers from Blasphemy in Pullman, Washington, came out to show onlookers the time and fragility spent in glass blowing, and artists like Austin were eager to support such a cost-effective opportunity for the community to gather and celebrate each other’s works. Each of the stations at the walk enticed handfuls of residents into local businesses on the downtown strip, and proved to be especially helpful in creating public interest in the small business scene in Moscow, much like the weekly farmers market does for Main Street companies.
The Artwalk is a yearly tradition that cultivates economic and cultural exposure locally, and for artists like Austin, it can be a unique opportunity to exhibit his own aesthetic, and hopefully sell a print or two.
Nick Eastman-Pratt
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