More than 40 artists team up with downtown Ames businesses for Art Walk

Ronna Faaborg, Ames Tribune
·3 min read
Artist Karla Embleton shows her crochet, knitting and pottery artwork during the Art Walk in 2021. Embleton returns to the Art Walk this year and will be located at Chic Salon from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday.
Artist Karla Embleton shows her crochet, knitting and pottery artwork during the Art Walk in 2021. Embleton returns to the Art Walk this year and will be located at Chic Salon from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday.

Dozens of artists will hang out downtown from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday for Ames Main Street’s Art Walk.

The annual event is a great way to showcase downtown businesses and local artists, said Crystal Davis, Ames Main Street executive director.

“Art Walk is one of our Downtown Ames signature events,” Davis said. “And it’s very popular.”

More than 40 artists are participating, representing a wide spectrum of art, including paintings, jewelry, photographs, woodworking, pottery, sculptures and music.

Each artist will be paired with a downtown business.

The Octagon Center for the Arts and the Ames History Museum will host several artists, traditionally offering art projects for kids and other community members. Douglas Avenue will be closed near those two businesses for more space and safety. All other downtown streets will remain open.

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Children draw at a table on Main Street at a booth hosted by Iowa State University's Memorial Union Workspace during the Art Walk in 2021 in downtown Ames.
Children draw at a table on Main Street at a booth hosted by Iowa State University's Memorial Union Workspace during the Art Walk in 2021 in downtown Ames.

The Ames Public Library will host an artist and feature a table for the City of Ames Public Arts Commission (PAC). The public can vote for their favorite sculpture in the current public art exhibition.

Every year, the PAC holds its Ames Annual Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition (AAOSE), where a panel of jurists selects artists to display their work on pads around the Main Street area.

“We then ask the public to vote on their favorite sculpture at PAC booths during events throughout the year,” said Kyle Hauswirth, a member of the PAC. “The artist that wins is granted the ‘Best in Show’ award.”

Several AAOSE pieces are also available for purchase for display in Ames through PAC's Neighborhood Sculpture Program.

“We encourage folks to come to Downtown Ames, check out the artists, grab a bite to eat at one of our restaurants, maybe end the night with some desserts or a drink,” Davis said.

More: Ames' iconic Pantorium building gets a Lego replica at Ames History Museum

Seven-year-old Zayah Jackson poses for a portrait as artist Tim Read makes a caricature during the Art Walk in 2021. Read will return to the Art Walk Thursday and can be located at Duck Worth Wearing.
Seven-year-old Zayah Jackson poses for a portrait as artist Tim Read makes a caricature during the Art Walk in 2021. Read will return to the Art Walk Thursday and can be located at Duck Worth Wearing.

The 2023 pairings of artists and downtown businesses:

  • Little Woods Herbal — Carmen Cerra

  • Duck Worth Wearing — Tim Read of 5 Fingers Creative

  • The Loft Resale — Shaky Parade

  • Ames History Museum — Anna V Gilbert, Penny Valente, Tristan Bailey and Sean Thornton

  • Octagon Center for the Arts — Jordan Brooks, Cyre Media, Nicole and Christ Nevels, Nathan Moore, Ashley Fay Vance and Valerie Williams

  • Transform Wellness Collective — Resinate’D

  • Kaylee — Makayla Carlson

  • Dog-Eared Books — Natalie Deam

  • We the Dreamerz — Julia LoVan

  • 10Fold Architecture + Engineering — Shawn Palek

  • FunDamental Studios — Alice Tosi

  • Torrent Brewing Company — Dave Swenson, The Boone Fiddler

  • Heroic Hair — Memorial Union Workspace

  • Oak Lane Candle Co. — Laurie Hoifeldt

  • Emerhoff’s Footwear — Linda Tong

  • Worldly Goods — Dee Willet

  • Della Viti — Art by BACH

  • American Country — Autumn Weaver

  • Marmalade Moon — Dylan Jacobson

  • The Knittery Nook & Fibre Co. — Liz Dohrmann of Open Dohr Studio

  • Ames Silversmithing — Isaac Prior

  • KHOI Community Radio — Greg Lamont

  • Lindsey Loo’s — Peggy Carr

  • Melissa Stenstrom — Fine Jewelry by Elizabeth Morse and Peter Benson

  • London Underground — Showcasing bartenders' artistic pursuits: Adam Baldus, Brittney Stuart and Bonnie Larrew

  • Chic Salon — Karla Embleton

  • Morning Bell Coffee Roasters — Ayla Schiller, Madeline Schill and Nate Petrik (all Morning Bell employees and artists)

  • Nook & Nest — Alicia Wilkinson

  • The Great Plains Sauce & Dough Company — Estella and Aviana Juelfs

  • KMR Studios — Kristin M Roach

  • The Ames Foundation — The Collective Indifference

  • Chocolaterie Stam — Nikole Vollmer

  • Ames Public Library — Karrie Daniels

  • Great Harvest Bakery and Café — Emily Kolbet

  • PhotoSynthesis — Local photography

  • Life Distilled — Laurie Holdefelt and Megan Lane from Violet Lane Florals

  • Threadit — Bob Anders

  • 410 Main St. building — Sabrina West

  • Ames Public Library — City of Ames Public Arts Commission

  • Whiskey River — Fern Neubauer

  • Sweet Caroline’s — Dan Duffy

Ronna Faaborg covers business, education and the arts for the Ames Tribune. Reach her at rlawless@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: From paintings to pottery, Ames Art Walk will draw shoppers downtown