Water Valley Walks The Walk
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Hill Country Living
By Coulter Fussell
Much to my disappointment, I was out of town on a work trip and missed Water Valley’s Art Crawl. Instead, I was in Georgia for the Atlanta Art Fair. In case you don’t already know, an art fair is a lot like an art crawl except that instead of houses and businesses acting as makeshift galleries for the night like we do it here, full-time galleries pay truly ungodly amounts of money to set up a small booth in a giant venue along with lots of other galleries so that they can all sell art for three days. Or attempt to sell art, rather. There’s also a decent bit of pretending to sell art!
That “pretending to sell art” didn’t seem to be the case for our Art Crawl here in Water Valley! Numerous friends of mine who attended the Water Valley Art Crawl showed off various works they bought at our Crawl. I will forever commend people who actually buy artwork. Lots of people like to talk the talk about “supporting the arts” and often even use “supporting the arts” as a political talking point. But artists know who walks the walk in regard to supporting the arts. Believe me, we know who’s actually buying the artwork!
More importantly, arts support doesn’t always have to manifest in buying work. Sometimes art is too expensive; sometimes it’s not your style. Other times, it’s just not on your radar because life has actual requirements that need to be met first. Often, the easiest and most sustainable form of arts support is just good old-fashioned enthusiasm and attendance for arts ventures to which you feel connected or are curious about.
There are even more free ways to support artists: access to your skills and knowledge! My father-in-law, who is a skilled carpenter with a terrific woodshop, repeatedly helps me with framing and engineering support systems for my artworks. Mothers and grandmothers have taught many textile artists how to sew over the eons. Welding is sculpture and there are whole art movements built around electrical systems, machines and cybernetics.
Not only is sharing your knowledge with a curious artist a free form of arts support, but you should likely get paid for your time and contributions (apologies to my father-in-law for not doing that!) Knowledge and skill-sharing are just one way that an arts branch of the local economy begins to pay off for everyone, not just artists.
But, I’m preaching to the choir here because Water Valley has supported a very successful, entirely volunteer-run, town-wide Art Crawl for nearly two decades. The organic success of our Art Crawl is as authentic as it comes, and I know that other places wish they could harness the supportive spirit we have here.
Thank you to the businesses all up and down Main Street, the art studios and the two Wood Street homes who so generously opened up their doors for the Art Crawl! The Water Valley Main Street Association organized the event and we are already looking forward to next year!
