MIDDLEBURY — The 2013 Middlebury Arts Walk season continues with the season’s fourth event taking place on Friday, Aug. 9, from 5 to 7 p.m. Middlebury Arts Walk is a free event (for artists, venues and attendees) and is held the second Friday of the month from May to October. In many cases the art is on display all month long — not just that evening.
Special Events
During August’s Arts Walk there are two special events. Helen Porter Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center is a special venue for this month only and will be open from 3 to 7 p.m. to welcome early Arts Walkers. Two past residents’ work will be on display:
•  Catherine Childs (“Catchi”) is an internationally recognized impressionist who has exhibited around the world. She is a member of the National Association of Women Artists and her talents are honored by other highly respected organizations. Much of Catchi’s work displays her passion for Italy.
•  Betty Hampel, 85, has been a watercolor and pastel artist all her life. She recently was recognized for her magnificent painting of a Vermont Morgan horse farm.
Also, Ilsley Public Library is teaming up with the Otter Creek Poets to present a marathon reading of this year’s Vermont Read, “Poetry 180,” an anthology of 180 contemporary poems compiled by Billy Collins. Readers from Otter Creek Poets and other community members will read as many of the 180 poems as time permits, starting at 5 p.m. and continuing through 7 p.m. on the front steps of the library. If there is inclement weather, the readings will move indoors.
Art for Animal Lovers
For anyone who enjoys photographs, paintings and drawings of animals — both domestic and wild — there are several venues who are displaying art featuring animals:
•  Brenda Murphy Blacklock is a pet portrait artist who loves to capture the pure joy and unconditional love that your pet has in your life. Her portraits are created in colored pencil and/or acrylics. Brenda donates most of her proceeds to the Homeward Bound Animal Welfare Center. Her work is on display at Ilsley Public Library.
•  Wayne Michaud of Green Mountain Pet Portraits paints portraits of your beloved pets in oils on canvas, created on a commissioned basis. Ten to 15 framed pieces will be on display all month long at Noonie Deli.
•  Round Robin will be displaying photos of polar bears, penguins and Kodiak bear cubs that hopefully will make viewers smile. Barb Madsen DeHart wants to have “fun with fotos” — taking them and viewing them. Her travels to Antarctica, Alaska and British Columbia provided the opportunity for these and many other “foto ops.”
•  Sandy Pierce’s paintings, on view at American Flatbread, are lively and colorful oils on canvas. Her subjects include favorite animals and local sights.
About Middlebury Arts Walk
Now in its fifth season, Middlebury Arts Walk takes place on the second Friday of the month, May through October, from 5 to 7 p.m. In many cases the art is on display all month long — not just on the second Friday. All exhibits are free and Arts Walk is a family-friendly event. Middlebury Arts Walk occupies approximately locations each month including artists’ galleries, stores, professional offices and museums. In addition, musicians perform in the town’s outdoor parks whenever possible and weather permitting. The range of work on view includes paintings, photography, performances and crafts.
Visit the website to download a copy of the current month’s flyer and walking map: www.MiddleburyArtsWalk.com.
The Middlebury Arts Walk: Where to Go and What to See
•  Helen Porter Healthcare & Rehabilitation: Catherine Childs and Betty Hampel, paintings
•  51 Main at the Bridge, 51 Main St.: Sandy Pratt, photography and live music with Will Patton Ensemble
•  Sarah Wesson Studio, 10 Merchants Row: Sarah Wesson oil and watercolor paintings
•  Carol’s Hungry Mind, 24 Merchants Row: Jesse Angier, metalwork sculpture; Linda Sleeper, photography
•  Town Hall Theater, Jackson Gallery, 68 South Pleasant St.: “Champlain Valley Scenes and Places,” Jennifer Steele Cole
•  Otter Creek Used Books, 99 Maple St., Marble Works: Celebrating the Art of Bookmarks with Sam Florance
•  Structural Energy Corp., 99 Maple St., Marble Works: Robert Gold, multimedia pop prints
•  Stone Leaf Teahouse, 111 Maple St., Marble Works: Ginger Lambert, collage
•  Round Robin, 211 Maple St., Marble Works: Matt Hall, Barb Madsen DeHart, photography
•  American Flatbread, 137 Maple St,, Marble Works: Sandy Pierce, painting
•  Noonie Deli, 137 Maple St., Marble Works: Wayne Michaud, Green Mountain Pet Portraits
•  Zone Three Gallery, 152 Maple St., Marble Works: “The Cardboard Art Show,” Asch & Baird, paintings and mixed media 
•  Edgewater Gallery, 1 Mill St.: Janis Sanders, oil paintings
•  Middlebury Studio School, 1 Mill St.: Hands-on activities
•  Galerie Provenance, 1 Frog Hollow Alley: American and French art, antiques and accoutrements
•  McLeod Kredell Architects, 3 Frog Hollow Alley: Architectural models
•  Kumon Math and Reading Center, 4 Frog Hollow Alley: Alexis Kyriak, drawings, paintings and fiber art
•  PhotoPlace Gallery, 3 Park St.: “City Streets | Country Roads”
•  Otter Creek Framing, 3 Park St.: “Cinders and Cones,” paintings and sculpture by Ross Sheehan
•  Henry Sheldon Museum, 1 Park St.: “Fashion & Fantasy”
•  Two Brothers Tavern, 86 Main St.: The Michele Fay Band
•  Vermont Folklife Center, 88 Main St.: “The Power of Water: Reflections on Rivers and Lessons from Irene”
•  Ilsley Public Library, 75 Main St.: Otter Creek Poets, poetry readings; Brenda Murphy Blacklock, pet portraits
•  Clay’s, 60 Main St.: Joanne Weber & Kendra Gratton, author and illustrator of children’s books
•  Clementine, 58 Main St.: Alice in Wonderland Flowers by Megan Clarke
•  Sweet Cecily, 42 Main St.: Local artisans
•  National Museum of the Morgan Horse, 34 Main St.: “The Orcutt Family Legacy” photographs, paintings, prints
•  Cannon Park: Andy Toy, sidewalk chalk art