By Debra Vanderlaan, Guest Columnist
Murphy The entire community is invited by the Valley River Arts Guild to come downtown to The Murphy Art Center and “Party With Arty.”
Downtown will soon host the largest Bigfoot in western North Carolina, which will be installed and unveiled on First Friday Art Walk evening June 6 from 5-8 p.m. “Party with Arty” is happening in honor of our newest art installation at The MAC.
A giant 10-foot wood-carved Bigfoot, dubbed “Arty MacMurphy,” will be situated as a permanent monument in the outdoor garden of The MAC. Arty is being creatively carved by talented local chainsaw artist Chris Gagnon, whose business is known as The Bear Factory.
Everyone throughout the world has heard the stories about Bigfoot, who is also known by many other names, such as Sasquatch, Yeti, Swamp Ape and even Chinook by some Native American tribes. The mystery surrounding this giant hairy creature, and the tales about him, have been perpetrated through history by numerous Bigfoot sightings throughout the last century – even within the Appalachian Smoky Mountains and Valleys of our little corner of the world.
The Murphy River Walk trail is known to be a terrific spot for trying to catch a glimpse of this elusive creature hiding behind the trees or wading in the Valley River parading as the Giant Leech, his Cherokee Indian legend well-known in this area.
The MAC’s “Party with Arty” will feature the live band Dire Wolf on the square and the sale of special T-shirts honoring our new Bigfoot statue, with complimentary refreshments, special snacks and music by Jim and Marci Wilcox performing inside The MAC. Free photography opportunities will feature the many fine folks of our community posing with Arty. Bring your cameras, kids, friends and family for this fun, free event.
Always advancing our mission of creating an art destination for our region, we expect folks will
come from far and wide in the weeks, months and years to come, to view and pose for photographs underneath the imposing figure of Arty. He joins other permanent outdoor art installations at The MAC, including our huge mosaic mushroom (by Kathy Alpert), our wood and stained glass art (by Steve Riedel and Tracy Land) and our newest, street lamp shades decked out in intricate stained glass (by Jim Allsopp).
Throughout downtown, you can also wander past the historic buildings and enjoy the art canvases of the MAX Project, Murphy Art Xplosion, our town’s Outdoor Art Gallery, compliments of the Valley River Arts Guild.
Arty is sure to become a regional, if not national, destination attraction, cementing our popular slogan,
“Murphy, North Carolina – A small mountain town with a big heart and big art!”
Details: Visit valleyriverarts.com and thebearfactorychainsawcarving.com.