By Brian Marchetti
On Saturday, September 23, the Beverly/Morgan Park neighborhood will come alive with an eruption of art, dance and song as scores of talented artists display their works throughout the community for the tenth annual Beverly Art Walk.
Organized by the Beverly Area Art Alliance, the art walk features work by over 200 artists and includes 40 venues. Attendees will find varied experiences throughout the neighborhood from Western Avenue to Walden Parkway and 95th to 111th street.
From its beginnings as an idea shared by Sal Campbell and Monica Wilczak, co-founders of the BAAA, the Art Walk has twice the number of artists participating since its inaugural year of 2014.
“The Art Walk just kind of exploded,” Campbell said.” It ended up being much bigger than we expected and has grown in so many wonderful ways. Our art community has really benefitted from it.”
This year’s participants include a number of talented artists from multiple disciplines. Local Chicago Chef, Won Kim, will bring his lifelong affinity for graffiti to the walk with a cornerstone exhibition, “The Writing on the Wall” featuring street artists both local and from all over the world. At the Beverly Art Center, the dance troupe Hiplet combines the classic and the modern with their genre-bending blend of hip hop and ballet.
Scattered throughout, local artists who have opened their own galleries or turned their garages into art studios will not only offer their wares, but demonstrate the creative process. It’s an excellent opportunity for both the curious and the budding artist to learn about the work that goes into their imaginative trades. All proceeds from the sale of any work goes directly into the creator’s pockets. The BAAA does not take a commission.
Local businesses have also lent their creative ideas to the event. Horse Thief Hollow, a long-time supporter of the Beverly art community, offers a specially made brew for the occasion. Stop by and pick up the Art Walker IPA.
Though the event takes place once a year, it has had long-lasting, positive effects on the neighborhood. Since its inception ten years ago, more artists have moved into Beverly, creating a thriving creative community.
“It’s something that we’re really proud of,” Monica Wilczak said. “We’re so glad our neighborhood embraced us and now it’s no longer a special occasion to experience high-quality art and music in the community.”
