Painter Rebecca Meloy has a vision. In it, Whatcom County residents and visitors swarm to the city’s Old Town on the fourth Saturday of every month to visit artists in their galleries or studios, chat with folks hosting pop-up events on the sidewalks, and engage with their fellow community members through visual art, music and even dancing.
From noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 24, Meloy’s vision will come to life via the inaugural Bellingham Old Town Art Stroll, a family-friendly event designed to bring attention to the many creatives who populate the area — which includes parts of the Lettered Streets and Central Business District neighborhoods.
“This event is to promote individual artists — the art sector of Bellingham, as opposed to advertising the cafe or the bar showing the artists,”
Meloy said during an interview in Meloy Gallery, a well-lit 350-square-foot space located in the basement of Bay Street Village, 301 W. Holly St.
“That’s kind of my angle here. Plus, it is totally free to all participants.”
Meloy, 68, has only been in her current venue since the end of September, but she has been making and selling art in Bellingham for decades and spent years running a gallery in Fairhaven. Meloy Gallery features her oil paintings and charcoal works, as well as pieces from regional painters and sculptors, collage artists, locally created art cards, and a book collection focused on Pacific Northwest artists and critics.
Although she has participated in Downtown Bellingham Partnership’s First Friday events since moving into the space last year — and will continue to do so — Meloy said she thinks hosting the Old Town Art Stroll during weekend afternoons will allow a broader range of people to get involved. If it’s successful and starts drawing a larger number of artists and audiences, the event will likely expand into the evening or start earlier in the day.
The inaugural stroll already has 21 people and places signed up, but Meloy said that’s just a fraction of the number of people making art in Old Town. She hopes the event will draw more attention to places such as the Waterfront Artists Studio Collective across the street from Jalapeños, Sharon Kingston’s studio on Prospect Street, and the Pickford Art Studios located above the Pickford Film Center on Bay Street, which people often pass by during First Fridays because they’re not aware they’re allowed to go up the stairs.
Additionally, Meloy said people may not be aware of the amount of creativity located within Bay Street Village itself.
“There are over 20 businesses in this building, and we are all artists,” she said, noting many of them will have their doors open for the June 24 event, or be showing their wares at pop-ups on Bay and Holly streets.
Sheri Wright, owner of Fourth Corner Frames and Gallery — located across the hall from Meloy Gallery — said she sees the Old Town Art Stroll as being good for her business. She thinks the event has plenty of promise, and loves that people of all ages can host pop-ups on sidewalks outside of Bay Street Village and other Old Town walkways without having to sign up or pay a fee. They can contact Meloy to be included in the map, but are welcome to just show up and share their wares or talents.
“It would be great if I saw kids on their own corner selling art,” Wright said. “There are so many potential possibilities. My framer, Laurie Potter, will be out on the sidewalk, as will other Bay Street Village artists Rebecca has approached.”
Wright’s current show at Fourth Corner Frames, “Driven to Abstraction,” features abstract pieces from local, regional and nationally recognized artists. It fills the lobby space and spills into the workspace, and she’s open to giving people short tours when they visit.
In her work, Wright said she sees art from around the world brought into the store to frame, and also sees collections from local artists who may never have achieved recognition.
“This whole community is just full of really amazing artists, coming up and past,”
Wright said. “I see a lot of it.”
Both Wright and Meloy mentioned the fact that the IRS has repeatedly reported Bellingham has more artists per capita than any other city in the country, but say this hasn’t necessarily resulted in art collectors storming the city to track down the talent.
“Why aren’t we a huge art center and a huge draw for the regional folks coming to Bellingham?” Meloy said. “We aren’t. I’m wanting to promote the art business sector. Maybe more galleries will locate here, maybe they’ll get Old Town finally redeveloped with some new buildings. We have great coffee shops, bakeries, we’ve got artists, we’ve got museums and great antique stores. That said, we are subdued.”
Attend the Old Town Art Stroll from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 24. All events and studios are located within buildings and on sidewalks throughout the district. Entry is free, as is participation in the event. Find out more on Facebook at Bellingham Old Town Art Stroll, or email rebecca@rebeccameloy.com.
