{"id":79084,"date":"2021-12-03T22:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-04T07:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/news\/juneau-shows-up-big-for-gallery-walk\/"},"modified":"2021-12-03T22:30:00","modified_gmt":"2021-12-04T07:30:00","slug":"juneau-shows-up-big-for-gallery-walk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/news\/juneau-shows-up-big-for-gallery-walk\/","title":{"rendered":"Juneau shows up big for Gallery Walk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t

Juneau welcomed back Gallery Walk on Friday night with shopping, music and merriment, undeterred by heavy snow that morning.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

Crowds flocked downtown, thronging in the stores and streets as stores, bars, and restaurants opened their doors, hosting artists and craftsmen.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

“It feels wonderful. Things are looking up,” said Morgan Johnson, owner of the Plant Studio. “It’s nice to have so much life downtown.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

[From the docks to a desk in city hall]<\/ins><\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

Dozens of events, organized in many cases by the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council and the Downtown Business Association, greeted the weekend as shoppers knocked out late-game holiday shopping. Planning for the event only began last month, said Alex Vrabec, director of the DBA in a previous interview, but that didn’t slow things down.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

\"Taylor<\/a>

Taylor Vidic and Kelsey Riker sing at the Red Dog Saloon during Gallery Walk on Dec. 3, 2021. (Michael S. Lockett \/ Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

“There weren’t any issues. Everything was kind of seamless,” said Traci Hayes, patron services assistant for the JAHC. “All the vendors were very happy to be a part of Gallery Walk.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

Shoppers were also regaled with live performances from groups like Vox Borealis and Juneau Drag, as many stores enjoyed crowds larger than they’d seen in a long time.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

\"Singers<\/a>

Singers of Vox Borealis carol during Gallery Walk on Dec. 3, 2021. (Michael S. Lockett \/ Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

“It’s been great. Busy,” said Erin Mitchell, sale and wholesale manager of Annie Kaill’s in an interview. “People are getting out for the first time in a long time. People are starting to get out again and shop.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

It’s hoped by the DBA that the resurgent Gallery Walk will provide a needed boost to the businesses downtown, Vrabec said. That commerce is crucial for businesses like Kaill’s, Mitchell said, which is approaching its 47th anniversary.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

\"Shoppers<\/a>

Shoppers peruse the selection at Annie Kaill’s during Gallery Walk on Dec. 3, 2021. (Michael S. Lockett \/ Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

“We can’t do that without the locals coming in and supporting us,” Mitchell said. “And of course, they’re supporting the artists.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

Dozens of artists were featured in locations ranging from the Juneau Arts and Culture Center to Centennial Hall to Devil’s Club Brewery Co. and more.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

\"Gallery<\/a>

Gallery Walkers peruse the art of Fawn Waterfield at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center on Dec. 3, 2021. (Michael S. Lockett \/ Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

“I’ve done a couple shows,” said Henry Webb, a furniture maker and joiner who was featured at the Plant Studio. “This is the most strangers I’ve been around in a couple years.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

Webb was joined by blacksmith Liam Penn, who crafted metal parts of the items on sale. It was Penn’s first Gallery Walk as an artist.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

\"Liam<\/a>

Liam Penn, left, and Henry Webb, right, were featured at the Plant Studio during Gallery Walk on Dec. 3, 2021. (Michael S. Lockett \/ Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

“It’s cool to talk to people and show them what I do,” Penn said in an interview. “I think it’s beautiful the way the materials combine — the simple joined wood and the one-piece steel hooks. It’s simple and beautiful and will last forever.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at (757) 621-1197 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hundreds turned out despite heavy snow that morning. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":534,"featured_media":79085,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","wds_primary_category":9,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,4],"tags":[552,75],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-79084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home","category-news","tag-holidays","tag-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/534"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79084"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79084\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79084"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=79084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}