Hey Neartown neighbors: Don't miss Hyde Park's art crawl this Saturday. Admission is free! Robin :-)
Heights/Neartown News Nov. 29, 2006, 3:52PM Hyde Park Art Crawl scheduled for Saturday Third annual event to feature 12 local artists By LISA VIATOR Chronicle Correspondent In Houston, where bigger is frequently associated with better, the organizers of the Hyde Park Art Crawl proudly dub the event as "Houston's smallest art crawl." "Good things come in small packages in Hyde Park," event publicity chair Marguarite Belkin said. The third annual event, sponsored by the Hyde Park United Civic Association, is set for 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. It begins at Grace Lutheran Church, 2515 Waugh, corner of Waugh and Missouri. It will wind its way through various locations in Hyde Park. Parking at the church is free and there is no admission to the various art sites. A dozen artists, all residents of the Montrose community, will showcase their work, including photography, painting, jewelry, sculpture and origami. Cabaret crooner Mary Beth Schillaci will perform at the church throughout the day. Belkin, whose origami will be featured, said the primary purpose for the event is to share the distinct neighborhood and artistic talents with fellow Houstonians. "Hyde Park is a very diverse neighborhood and lots of artists of all kinds live here," she said. "Around Christmas seems a good time to have the crawl so people can meet the artists who are creating their Christmas presents." A retired banker, Belkin said she devotes ample time to her chosen art form in which she transforms delicate paper foldings into jewelry reinforced with acrylic. Belkin said she also donates the proceeds from many of her sales to charities such as Heifer International, a nonprofit organization that focuses on feeding the hungry worldwide. She said she plans to donate the proceeds from what she sells at this year's event to the church. She estimates that at least 200 people attended the 2005 event and said event organizers expect at least that many on Saturday. A map of the various sites will be available at the church. One featured artist is 11-year-old Dakota Grusak, who Belkin said is the youngest artist involved in the event and his beaded macramé bracelets sold out last year. "People are very enthusiastic about handmade, one-of-a-kind items and they find it equally interesting to see an 11-year-old among the artists creating those things," she said. Belkin said all the artists have agreed to pitch in some of their proceeds from sales to help organize the future Hyde Park Artists Association, which would serve as a forum to lure working artists to the area. "With an association, we could actually expand future crawls and feature more artists," she said. "There are a lot of small communities in Montrose and the area is rich with creative people. "Our hope is to make this area generally recognized as a place for creative people to live and work and some place that everyone in Houston knows is the place to come when they're looking for art." Source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/heights/news/4363390.html
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