La Porte’s August “2nd Saturday” event brought out the inner artist in many of La Porte’s citizens. The Downtown Art Walk, which started at five, featured countless original works of art by La Porte’s finest artists, as well as great food at numerous restaurants and special sales at several shops.
Art was displayed at Roxy Music, Temple News Agency, Worthington Fine Art Studio, Thaddeus C. Gallery, Rocco’s Classic Gallery, and Antique Junction, with each place offering different styles of art.
At Roxy Music, Mary Ketchmark and Joe Tallerico performed for the pedestrians of La Porte, while several local artists made or showed off their works of art on the sidewalk. A variety of works of art could be purchased, from wood carvings to oil pastels.
Temple News Agency also provided La Porte with local musical talent, as James Neary performed for the people of La Porte. Inside of Temple was another highlight of the Art Walk. La Porte native Dave Russell drew caricatures of any brave enough to risk falling victim to a caricature artist, as the other Temple customers stood by to enjoy Russell do his work.
Neary explained the importance of art in La Porte, and the impact it has in the community.
“The city of La Porte has no small number of artists that live here,” Neary said. “There are so many bands that go and play all around the area. There are art galleries here in La Porte. There’s people that paint. There’s people that write poetry. There are a couple of spots in La Porte that are transparent and you can clearly see art is being done there. But it seems everyone I bump into does something: oh I write a little bit, oh I sing a little bit, oh I paint. I think La Porte is very much art driven. Pretty much everyone has a way to express themselves. It’s almost a cornerstone to me.”
Neary continued on his thoughts of the art walk.
“I love it. I think its just another way for the people of La Porte that don’t regularly showcase their talents to actually showcase their talents to actually go out there and let people see what they’re doing. This opportunity for me for example is just an opportunity for me to go out and play for people I wouldn’t normally play for.”
A short walk down the street is the Worthington Fine Art Studio. Here, another La Porte native Clinton Worthington entertained viewers by painting live, allowing all spectators to see just how the artistic process work. In addition to the painting in process, Worthington also displayed many of his already finished works of art.
Continuing the walk would bring one to the Thaddeus C. Gallery. Thaddeus and Laura Cutler, the owners of the gallery, also treated spectators to a live painting. The duo selected a unique approach to their painting: they divided one large canvas into 64 squares, painting each square individually but doing it in a way so that all the squares together formed a larger picture. Like Worthington, to duo also displayed a number of their already completed pieces.
Antique Junction also got in the artistic spirit. Owner Carol Estes, a regionally renowned photographer, proudly showed off some of her finest works. Adding to the fun was a family photography booth.
Finally, at Rocco’s Classic Gallery, several beautiful paintings by artist Terry Redlin were exhibited. Rocco’s also provided free refreshments to all those made thirsty by the art-filled walk.
Downtown restaurants also joined in the event, offering specials for the evening. Local favorites Enzo Trattoria, Mucho Mas Mexican Grill, Cookery Tried & True, Seven, and Temple News Agency gave La Porte’s art enthusiasts special discounts.
The Downtown Art Walk was just another wonderful event in downtown La Porte’s “2nd Saturday” event series, where every second Saturday of the month the downtown showcases the area’s finest art, music, food, and shopping.
Professional photographer Ashley Joy, who herself showcased several photographs on the Art Walk, said, “I love La Porte downtown activities. Anything I can do to help out La Porte, I’m there. These are all local photos. Everything is local, from businesses to alleyways. I just try to make sure I incorporate downtown with the photographs that I show.”
With so many passionate local artists and enthusiasts, it is hard not to appreciate the not-so-secret artistic side of La Porte.
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