Tap In Evanston Art Scene With Pairings Of Local Artwork, Spirits

EVANSTON, IL — A south Evanston merchant association teaming up with a local arts nonprofit next week to feature locally made art and craft beverages.

More than 40 Evanston-based artists are due to showcase their work May 16 at this year's Evanston Art and Craft Beverage Crawl, where attendees can sip on locally made drinks from regional craft beverage makers.

Many of the artists will be on hand as area businesses host one-night-only, special in-store art exhibits and serve drinks from Southeast Evanston producers like Few Spirits, Kombucha Brava and Sketchbook Brewing.

The event is hosted by the Main-Dempster Mile business group and the arts organization Evanston Made.

"This is a perfect way to add an Evanston artist to your art collection," said Lisa Degliantoni, executive director of Evanston Made. "Or maybe you just want a kickass greeting card or a fancy coaster."

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Main-Dempster Mile Executive Director Katherine Gotsick said the events like the arts crawl are a great way of introducing community members to independent local businesses.

"This year, we hope to get an extra-large crowd on Main Street," Gotsick said. "The businesses there are struggling through another season of construction disruption, and we hope this event will provide them a big night in the midst of it."

Ongoing sidewalk restoration work in front of some participating stores is expected be completed by the start of the crawl.

Among the beverages on offer will be brews from Moor's Beer, a Black-owned brewery in Chicago at the YWCA Shop for Good, 820 Dempster St., housemade Kombucha mojitos at Kombucha Brava, 717 Custer Ave., and Few bourbon-infused chocolate jellies — available one night a year from Belgian Chocolatier Piron, 509-A Main St.

The crawl will also feature a sneak preview of a new business — Lefty's Righteous Bagels is set to open in June at 827 Chicago Ave.

It is free to check out all the art and live entertainment, but wristbands that allow for free tastings of boozy beverages and food pairings at participating businesses are $30 in advance or $39 at the door on the evening of the event.

The event runs from from 5 to 8 p.m. on May 16. Organizers provided the below list of participating businesses and artists, which is subject to change. Ticketholders were asked to stick to one of the following two routes for the first 90 minutes of the event.

Main Chicago Route

• Lea Med Spa, 719 Main St, feat. Alexandra Farkas
• TremainART, 838 Custer Ave feat. Ros Smith
• Wild Fork Foods, 525 Main St feat. Lisa Haskin & Theresa Daniel
• Squeezebox Books & Music, 743 Main St feat. Scott Greenberg & Bennett Pascal
• Mellow Maker Art Studio, 910 Sherman Ave feat. the Mellow Maker Stained Glass Student Showcase!
• Alley Cat Studios, 821 Main St feat. Kandi & William Jameson
• Tapestry Station, 740 Main St feat. Beth Adler, Josh Chernoff, Melanie Deal, Denise Handwerker
• Kombucha Brava, 821 Main St (Alley entrance)- NEW LOCATION! feat. Jim Parks & Silvana Tandeter
• Lefty's Righteous Bagels - SNEAK PEEK NEW BUSINESS! feat. Rachel Mars
• Belgian Chocolatier Piron, 509 Main St feat. chocolate jellies made with FEW Spirits rye
• Fusion Academy, 847 Chicago Ave (2nd Floor) feat. Katherine Kerste, Jamie Adams and Madeline Usher
• Booked, 506 Main St feat. Melissa Blount
• Evanston Stitchworks, 904-6 Sherman Ave feat. Maggie Drouillard & Anjali Raj Hansoty
• Eden Agora Spa, 500 Main St feat. Cheryl Jue
• Evanston Eye Wellness, 716 Main St feat. Amy Rosenwasser
• Marie Parie Boutique, 508 Main St feat. TBD!
• Total Radiance Skincare by Shelly, 717 Chicago Ave feat. TBD!

Dempster Chicago Route

• Stumble & Relish, 1312 Chicago Ave feat. Joanna Kramer
• Homestead Meats, 1305 Chicago Ave feat. Joerg Metzner of Picturing Evanston
• Ahimsa Yoga, 614 Dempster St feat. Madison Dillenbeck & Amy Amoroso
• Luna Delgado Botanicals, 800 Dempster St feat. Anneliese Bronsveld
• YWCA Shop for Good Evanston, 820 Dempster St feat. Kristin Mariani
• Village Farmstand, 810 Dempster St feat. Christie Russert
• Space 900, 816 Dempster St feat. Todd Anderson
• Grandmont Street Ceramics, 1309 Chicago Ave - NEW BUSINESS!
• Maison du Prince, 1239 Chicago Ave feat. Zak Blatt
• Botanica CBD, 1306 Chicago Ave feat. Mark Cleveland
• Evanston Pour, 528 Dempster St feat. Robin McMurray Hurtig
• Perspective Gallery, 1310-1/2B Chicago Ave feat. Student Perspectives Exhibit
• Coco Design & Build, 600 Dempster St feat. Claire Tarnacki & Andrew Walker III
• niceLena & Friends, 1235 Chicago Ave feat. NICELENA!
• Yasotorn Thai Cuisine, 809 Dempster St feat. Angela Williams
• Search, Inc., 824 Chicago Ave feat. Visibility Artsworks