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Murphy – Everyone is invited out for an evening of fun and entertainment from 5-8 p.m. Friday for the first Art Walk of the 2025 season.
The downtown sidewalks will become the stage for artist demonstrations, crafters displaying their wares, musicians and performers who delight and entertain. Share good times with old friends while making a few new ones.
The Valley River Arts Guild aims to provide the community of artists, crafters, musicians and performers a platform for exhibiting and selling their original artworks, while supporting the local businesses.
Downtown Murphy merchants will remain open until 8 p.m. on Art Walk evenings. Experience the arts, listen and dance to music, dine in the various restaurants and cafes, and explore all the downtown shops, galleries and boutiques.
Check out the art on downtown businesses as part of the Murphy Art Center’s Max Art Xplosion project with community members. Notice the works of those who’ve had their art and photography images displayed for all to see.
Walk along downtown and watch for the yellow flags outside businesses that let you know they’re participating in the event.
First Friday Art Walk runs each month from 5-8 p.m. May through October, with extended holiday hours in November and December from 1-8 p.m. There is no admission fee. Come out and participate in all the festivities, rain or shine.
Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about the event:
Who produces Art Walk? Since 2011 when Art Walk was created, volunteers from Valley River Arts Guild at the Murphy Art Center have done 100% of the legwork to produce the Art Walk events each month. The guild is a North Carolina 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization.
Who issues permits for downtown events? Permits are issued by the Murphy Police Department. An organization that wishes to hold an event downtown must submit a permit request. The chief of police and town mayor approve permit requests. Permits are free, but two permits on the same dates are not granted.
The Town of Murphy owns all downtown sidewalks, not the business or building owners. The Arts Guild is given permission to use all sidewalks for the Art Walk event each month.
How do you become a vendor at Art Walk? As with any festival, vendors must register in advance, on the Arts Guild’s website or at The MAC. No unregistered walk-on vendors can be accepted. When the form is received, the vendor is assigned a reserved space at Art Walk to guarantee a spot. There is no fee or charge to be an Art Walk vendor. No percentage of sales is taken. Art Walk has always been free for vendors.
What types of vendors are accepted at Art Walk? Anything art-related is welcome – crafts, music, theater, writing, culinary and visual arts. Fundraising, promotional or political groups are not accepted. Art Walk is free, but not meant to be a free-for-all, where anyone can set up any type of business for that evening, since the Arts Guild and Art Walk have a permit for use of all downtown sidewalks and parks.
How is Art Walk promoted? The budget for Art Walk is more than $11,000 per year. Those promotions include four regional newspaper ads each month, multiple billboards, many highway signs, flyers and rack cards distributed regionally, magazine ads, social media promoted ads and music bands on the square.
How are these promotions funded? All Art Walk promotions are funded through grants awarded from N.C. Arts Council, Cherokee County Tourism Development Authority, Cherokee Casinos, private donations, and patron and merchant support.
How much does Valley River Arts Guild earn from Art Walk? Zero. Not one single penny. Art Walk funds are in a separate account, untouched by anyone or anything other than for paying Art Walk promotional expenses. Volunteers are not paid a single cent and no money is funded into the Arts Guild.
What work is involved in producing Art Walk each month? To fund Art Walk, grants are applied for early in the year. Budgets are put together to allocate funds. Ads for newspaper, magazine, posters, and rack cards are designed and sent in. Merchants and patrons are contacted. Bands are booked months in advance. Arts and crafts vendors are contacted and assigned set-up spots. Highway signs are placed countywide one week before, then removed right after Art Walk each month. Just six members volunteer on the Art Walk committee for such a huge job.
Who benefits from Art Walk? The vendors at Art Walk gain exposure for their arts and crafts, the downtown merchants benefit economically, Cherokee County and regional businesses enjoy return visitors who have experienced Art Walk and enjoyed their stay in our area. The volunteers from the Valley River Arts Guild do not benefit financially, but we do gain satisfaction and pride in helping our region to become an arts destination.
Details: Call 828-360-3038, stop by 12 Peachtree St. in downtown Murphy or visit and register at valleyriverarts.com.