9 Bloomington galleries honor local artists at GalleryWalk on Friday

Downtown Bloomington will be transformed into a metaphorical canvas displaying nine galleries worth of local artistry at the fall GalleryWalk beginning at 5 p.m. Friday. \nEd Vande Sande, Bloomington Area Arts Council development and marketing director, said GalleryWalk is “a wildly successful downtown collaboration” where the public can enjoy the autumn weather as it provides a backdrop for local art. All the galleries are within walking distance from each other, and the event is free and open to the public. \nEach of the nine galleries will display different events with refreshments and a chance to mingle with the artists, Vande Sande said. \nThe By Hand Gallery, 109 Fountain Square Mall, will feature the work of Joel Washington. This painter is from Indianapolis but has been a resident of Bloomington for the past 30 years and has established himself firmly in the local art scene with paintings that resound with color and movement, he said. Washington’s influences include Andy Warhol, a jazz and blues music and pop artist of the 1960s and 1970s. At a young age, the Beatles’ film “Yellow Submarine,” with its vibrant colors and imagery, left a deep impression on him that is apparent in his own works.\nThe John Waldron Arts Center galleries will offer “absolutely stunning visual images from three exceptional, local artists,” Vande Sande said. Artists to be featured at Waldron are Louise Arrizoli, Patricia Hecker and Alice Meyers, who is an IU alumnus.\nOther participating galleries include Wandering Turtle Art Gallery, Bellevue Gallery, Tutto Bene Wine Cafe & More, Textillery Gallery in the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, Gallery North and Prima Gallery.\nThe GalleryWalk ends at 8 p.m., but most of the exhibits will be available through this month.