Hot art, cool nights

• By GREG LANGLEY
• Books editor
• Published: May 4, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05am

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A little over a decade ago, the owners of galleries and businesses in the midcity area of Baton Rouge took a look around and liked what they saw: clusters of art and art-related businesses. In a relatively small geographic area, shoppers had a unique opportunity to find and purchase just about anything they wanted. The only problem was getting the word out.

So the members of the Mid City Merchants Association came up with the idea of the “art hops,” evenings out on the town where businesses kept special hours and artists were on hand to meet and greet the public.

Liz Walker owns Elizabethan Gallery at Jefferson Highway near its juncture with Government Street. She’s chairman of the Mid City Merchants Art and Design District and has been involved in the art hops since they began with the event in the fall, White Light Night.

“The whole idea of White Light Night started to bring people (here) because we recognize that we have the most art-related businesses in the city. Once we realized that, we thought, ‘Well how do you get them in here, how do you get people in the area?’ So that’s why we started the art hops. The very first reason is to get people into the Mid City Arts and Design District,” Walker said.

“White Light Night has been around for about 11 years,” she said as she outlined other reasons for holding the event. “The second reason is to get them (customers) into your business and expose them to the arts so they can meet the artists, because that’s always a thrill for a lot of people. The third reason is that we hope they will buy something, and then the fourth is that we really want them to come back.”

Walker said the art hops succeeded so well that five years ago another event was added in the spring, Hot Art, Cool Nights.
The art hops draw an estimated 10,000-12,000 shoppers for the fall event and slightly fewer for the spring event, Walker said. “It’s an estimate, because we’d almost have to hire somebody or get a volunteer at each of the 30 businesses. Last year, it was somewhere between 9,000 and 10,000 people. That’s based on — like for instance, most of us at this point know how many people can squeeze into their business, and based on rotation being about every 20 minutes, you multiply times the max you can fit into your business and add it all up. Some businesses (owners) will say, ‘Well, around 9 p.m. it started to fade out.’ So they try to take account of that too. We’re going to try to do a count again this year, an approximate count. But like I said, I’ve got two people at the door greeting people, trying to get their e-mail address or just welcoming. The door opens, you’re talking to one person and five rush by you.”

It’s the variety that brings the crowds, Walker said.

“They can literally find anything they want along this little strip down to South 14th Street. We have metals, glass, mixed media, ceramics, concrete. You name it, there’s not a medium that’s not hit in this area,” she said.

And it’s not just shoppers and merchants who benefit. “This event has a huge economic benefit to the city. It’s not just the merchants. You have to think about, first of all, what we’re spending in money personally, businesswise, to promote the event. I don’t just pay for this to be part of it for all of our advertising. I also do my own separate advertising. We have to buy food and beverages, paper products. I have to hire extra staff. The artists buy stuff,” Walker said.

“That is also why we moved both of the events to a Friday, because the Baton Rouge Convention and Visitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce both said they would be more apt to be able to help us publicize it and they could tout it as a regional event, or really a statewide event.”

The artists get to mix and mingle with the people who buy their work, something that is not always possible. Fairleigh Cook is a ceramics artist who participated in White Light Night last fall and is now getting ready to take part in Hot Art, Cool Nights for the first time. She’s excited.

“I love it. I think it’s fabulous,” Cook said. “I think it puts us on the map.” Cook’s gallery, 3774 Studio Gallery is at 3774 Government St.
“The gallery is to give people a place to exhibit. I don’t take commissions,” Cook said. She said she had 300 to 400 people visit the gallery during White Light Night and hopes to draw a similar number during Hot Art, Cool Nights when her gallery will host five artists (including Cook) and their works.

Each participating business provides its own refreshments, Walker said. “A merchant can (informally) pair with a vendor, like Raising Cane’s is one of my good customers so they always make a donation of food to us, and we always have a sign that thanks them,” she said. “Refreshments will be available at all the venues.”