Local Artists Kick Off First 'Art Walk' This Week

A number of artistic and cultural assets call downtown Beverly home.

Montserrat College of Art, LPF Studio, Cabot Cinema, Clay Dreaming, Porter Mill, Wallpusher Guitars, Blue Box, Mingo Gallery and Frame Shop, the Atomic Cafe, Sea Change Theater and 17 Cox are a handful, not to mention the hundreds of professional and student artists working in the city, maintaining both public and private studios.

To the artistic population (artists, gallery directors, collectors, art students, etc) most of these entities are well known and utilized. To many others, these establishments and individuals are unknown, and attempts to publicize them and bring attention to the wealth of culture in Beverly are largely unorganized. While organizations and individuals are in conversation with each other and collaborate often, these efforts are also widely unrecognized and under utilized.  

In response to this disconnect, local art activists Bea Modisett, Matthew Rogers, Margot Rogers and Lucas Spivey, in collaboration with the entities listed above and a handful of others, have banded together and organized First Thursday Beverly Art Walks to take place each month.

On Thursday, Nov. 1, the first of what will be a monthly occurrence will take place. A map detailing all participating groups will be distributed in the weeks leading up the event and will be available to individuals to walk the route that spans from Montserrat College of Art down to 17 Cox with more than ten stops in between.  Each location is offering extended hours, refreshments, special exhibitions, or other incentives for citizens to attend and to return each subsequent First Thursday.  Look for the First Thursday sticker in the windows of local businesses that denote their participation.

The event will be held Thursday Nov. 1 from 6-9 p.m. with a BYOB reception in the Gallery at Porter Mill starting at 8 p.m. and ending at 10 p.m. Please join us in celebrating the many cultural institutions, large and small, located in Beverly. For more information contact Bea Modisett at studios.portermill@gmail.com.

Participating Locations: 301 Gallery, Montserrat Gallery, LPF Studio, Cabot Cinema, Clay Dreaming, Porter Mill, Wallpusher Guitars, Blue Box, Mingo Gallery and Frame Shop, the Atomic Cafe, Sea Change Theater, 17 Cox Murals and Public Art Locations: Revitalization Mural Installation (Bell Market), Bea’s Mural, Organic Garden, Cabot Cinema, Larcom Theater, Borah’s Mural.

Courtesy of Bea Modisett