Fairfax ArtWalk: A Celebration of the Senses

Billed as “a party in every store” this art walk has expanded its scope. It only happened once a year until Covid. Now, Fairfax is finally having its art walk again, on Friday, September 29th, 5-9 pm, the first time since 2019; it promises to be extraordinarily extra-sensory.

What do I mean by that? An art walk is usually primarily visual. Classic strains of music may accompany wine and cheese at galleries featuring abstract paintings or bronzes. Gallery-goers pose pensively, surveying pieces while contemplating ethereal artist statements, the art hovers above, often aloof but inspiring in some undefinable way. I grew up there, moving in half-step to the waltz among the bone white walls.

Then I found Fairfax, a mecca of creativity, full of multi-dimensionality and writhingly-real synesthesia. I felt I had popped off a page into a living, breathing , world where people engaged fully with the magic of creativity and each another. However, the pandemic put that to sleep or at least under covers, until recently.

So this ArtWalk will be a full-on celebration of reawakening. A bike valet from the Bicycle Museum of Marin by the Way Station welcomes you as you arrive, heart pumping. The Way Station will feature the alternative country rock (with a squeeze of grunge) sounds of Laura Williams (5 pm) followed by the Jazz trio of Bill Petitti (7 pm). Wander towards downtown to hear the smokey, bluesy tunes of Lindsay Everly (5pm) followed by Teja Gerken’s sweet folk and classical guitar (6:30 pm) calls you towards Bolinas Ave.

There, you receive a map with scavenger hunt instructions; those completing the map will be eligible for great prizes. The hunt takes you to see the different stores, where you can enjoy the excitement, refreshments, and enjoy the pairing of artists and merchants. Each merchant has carefully selected an artist that complements and expands the appreciation of their store, giving a deeper level to the experience.

For example, Eleven Real Estate chose Jeffrey Beauchamp’s ‘The Blue Couch’. This large painting is like a magnificent window onto the supernatural world of Fairfax. Central to the painting, are books and a plush retro couch which inviting the viewer to set and see. There is an ebullient landscape of color and shapes, allowing one to imagine the ideal world just outside. It is at once invigorating and calming, like a promise of good things to come, and expresses a realtor’s mission to perfection.

A few doors away, the aromatic redolence of Solstice Mercantile beckons with a cornucopia of sustainably-sourced and locally-made artisanal goods including scented soaps, candles, chocolate. Weaver Travis Meinholf will be on his loom, dancing out the patterns with pedal and shuttle rhythms while soft textiles flow like woven water.

In addition to the many multimedia artists in stores, there will be poetry readings (7:30 pm at Eleven Realty) as well as an outdoor group show to further stimulate the senses. The group show hosted by Mas Masa, For Paws, Hairfax, Conifer, and Dragon Heart Healing Arts is in their parking lot. There is a stage where musicians Cherie LeBow of Bond Girl fame (5pm), two-time grammy award winning Mads Tolling (6:30 pm)*, and legendary Tom Finch will play (7:30pm).

Artists will be displaying jewelry, paintings, bronzes, photography, clothing, ceramics, kinetic sculpture, along with a cutting-edge AR presentation of virtual art and a culinary performance by Mas Masa showing their traditional nixtamalization process.

Cuban-colored dancing figures on painted fence sections are the creation of Margot Van Riper and her neighbor, 10 year-old Cory deGrassi, who made them during the pandemic. The fence was removed so that Cory’s younger brother, who loves seeing cars and trucks, could do so. They spent four years making them together, and the results are fantastic.

Come alive and enjoy this celebration of the senses that is Fairfax.