On a hot and humid Friday evening, I had the privilege of attending my first art walk. A friend and I started up near the famous Leg Lamp Statue and made our way down the art show. Along the way, we walked in the various shops that had art to display as well as refreshments; some even had live music. 

Our first stop was the USAO Art Wrecker, and inside there were many ceramics hand-made by Special Instructor of Art Freddy Baeza. We had the opportunity to speak with Baeza, and he broke down some of the process that goes into making the ceramics. Outside, some fellow USAO students were selling their own hand-crafted art. We stopped and chatted, and took a look at their art. 

Going a bit further down Chickasha Avenue, we entered the First National Bank of Chickasha (FNB). I have never been inside of the bank before, but the architecture inside was beautiful. There were many paintings by the late artist Leonard Good, as well as live music from Shanna Couch and Cody Couch.

I also met and spoke with Randy Talley, senior vice president for marketing. He explained to us the importance of this month’s show, and also explained that the FNB hosts the art walk every quarter of the year, with the FNB going all out for each and every show. 

The FNB also provided water bottles and a full size charcuterie board, which my friend and I were refreshed to find.

The cross walk across Fourth Street brought us to the next section of the event, and there were a few tables here and there with patrons at each table, interested in what the vendors had to offer.

Our final stop on our artistic journey was Shakespeare Wine Company. Here, there were several vendors, as well as live music provided by Justus & the Hometown Revival. After getting to know the members of the band, we made our way around to the various vendors to see what they provided.

I spoke to artist Pat Redbird, who played his flute for us, as well as telling us some of the stories behind his art pieces. We spoke to him for awhile and learned a lot from him about his work. 

There was also the Oklahoma Munchables Group, who gave us free samples of their fudge, and they tasted really good. They even stated that one of their recipes has been in their family since the 1600s, which was really fascinating to hear. 

Overall, the event was very enjoyable to attend, and I really look forward to next month’s art walk. I am anticipating to see how the art walks will change especially with the start of the school year, since USAO will gain a whole new crop of artists.

I am especially looking forward to the art walk in October, as the FNB will play host to the art walk once more, and the Halloween theme will certainly be present in the art walk. 

Paul Tointigh is a fourth-year Communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma