BRUNSWICK —  ArtWalks, the monthly showcase of over 40 local artists and vendors along Maine Street, is getting revamped under a new name and new oversight.

The Brunswick Downtown Association will continue the downtown tradition as 2nd Friday Brunswick!, to still take place the second Friday of the month.

“2nd Friday Brunswick! offers a fun evening of artistic exploration featuring visual art, live music, dance and theatrical performances, and extended shopping hours all within walking distance of Maine Street,” BDA spokeswoman Patti Spencer-Yost said in a statement.

Under the re-branding, she said Tuesday, the BDA will the expand the series to encompass greater forms of art and entertainment, “to make it a more all-encompassing kind of an event where there’s more people involved.”

The series will take place from June through September, and extends from Pleasant Street to Mill Street, and then along Maine Street, ending at the Fort Andross Mill Complex.

Event hours will also be an hour earlier, taking place from 4-7 p.m.

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ArtWalks was sponsored for 15 years by Five River Arts Alliance, a group of area artists that had also hosted a similar series in Bath.

But when the group disbanded last October, Spencer-Yost explained that members of the Alliance and town staff asked the BDA to take over the event.

She said her organization is working to engage and expand the number of Maine Street retailers and restaurants involved, who will hopefully host local artists at their venues.

The Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Curtis Memorial Library, Spindleworks,  Maine State Music Theatre, ArtVan, and numerous galleries and restaurants are a sampling of the organizations set to participate in festivities this summer.

Notably, the BDA is working with the town to close Lincoln Street to vehicular traffic in order to create what Spencer-Yost called a “block party atmosphere.”

2nd Friday Brunswick! will add to the BDA’s existing slate of summertime festivities.

The organization presents a popular concert series on the Town Mall every Wednesday for 10 weeks, as well as a family barbecue in June and an arts festival in August.

Callie Ferguson can be reached at 781-3661, ext.100, or cferguson@theforecaster.net. Follow Callie on Twitter: @calliecferguson.

The Brunswick Downtown Association is revamping the monthly ArtsWalks series as 2nd Friday Brunswick!, which will include a wider offering of entertainment along lower Maine Street.


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