Artwalk Heats Up Westville

ArtWalk brought the heat, both literally and figuratively, to Westville Saturday as outdoor vendors, neighborhood businesses, and a variety of activities in Edgewood Park energized and elated the village and its visitors.

Originally scheduled for the previous weekend, ArtWalk activities had been cancelled due to rain and rescheduled in the hopes the weather would be more conducive — and oh how it was. Mostly sunny and majorly balmy, it was the perfect almost-summer day to be out and about the town getting your art on.

The action — organized by the Westville Village Renaissance Alliance — began at 11 a.m., starting with the second annual Pet Parade held in Edgewood Park near Coogan Pavilion. It was an idea of Jaime Kane’s that came to fruition successfully last year. This year Pat Patterson and Ivan Ivanovich — also known as Lou Mangini and Matt Gaffney of the Broken Umbrella Theater — were there at the start/finish line to commentate and entertain, giving out awards and doggie treats, and making everyone laugh along to comments like ​“I’m getting really sweaty, I wish this was a dog race.” 

The parade participants included not only pets, but both children and pets dressed in animal costumes, as well as stuffed animals. All were accounted for as the crowd followed the leaders while musician Tim Kane played ​“How Much is That Doggie in the Window” on trumpet. When the parade returned to where it began, accolades were handed out to the strains of ​“Who Let the Dogs Out” and other puppy-appropriate tunes. Some of those awards included Most Dressed Like Owner, Most Spots, and Most Legs, which went to Ben, a one-and-a-half-year-old Yorky dressed as a spider. The kids and stuffed animals weren’t left out either. Those winners included a stroller full of jungle-themed toys, a stuffed cat, and a child in a zebra costume who won Most Zebra-ish. There was so much laughter and smiling it actually made this reporter’s face hurt.

Back toward the pavilion, the park was filled with visitors, along with a booths featuring a multitude of organizations and activities, including spin art, made on a device powered by stationary bike. 

Artist Sara Zunda had her table set up there as well, where she was not only vending a variety of items featuring her illustrations, but would also be creating live art later in the day, drawing digitally on a monitor. The piece she would be working on was part of a monster book that she currently has in production. 

The musical stage was already rocking well before noon with the first act of the day, The EcleKtics, a five-piece band playing covers such as ​“Ventura Highway” and other hits from the ​’70s. Later in the afternoon local acts such as Finn Wiggins – Henry, The Tines, and Glambat were scheduled to play. This reporter sat for a moment in the shade to rest, hydrate, and sing along to the nostalgic tunes.

The majority of vendors were set up on Fountain Street from Whalley to Central, and then on Central itself, both blocked off and stacked with sellers of everything from clothing to plants to visual art, as well as a continuous crowd of visitors. Local businesses also celebrated in their own ways, with Lower Forms offering a 25 percent off sale and Elm City Sounds spinning records on the sidewalk in front of its space. Numerous shoppers steadily wandered in and out of both sites. 

Many local artists and businesses expressed their elation at being back outside and enjoying their community at this annual event. Kate Stephen — who creates jewelry made of copper, brass, and natural stones — was ecstatic that ArtWalk had been rescheduled from the previous rainy weekend. 

“It was a great call. I much prefer a nice beautiful green-tree, blue-sky spring day,” she said. Stephen has been vending at ArtWalk for 10 years and said it was her ​“intro to Westville before I moved here.”

“I love it, and I love working these. It’s very supportive. People show up and support the artists in this neighborhood all the time. It’s amazing,” she said.

Across the road from Stephen, artists and sisters Amira Brown and Iman Brown offered their creations, including posters, buttons, stickers, greeting cards, and zines. They said they had been vending here around 7 years and loved every minute of it, with Amira noting that it was a much different atmosphere than gallery shows, where an artist typically only gets to interact with people at their opening.

“I get to see the people coming through and who is responding to the work here,” Brown said. ​“I get to see, meet, talk to them, have a kind interaction which is really important.” The sisters also live in Westville, right up the street in fact. ​“We’re hyper local,” they said, laughing.

Maxine Harris and Laurren Robinson, best friends and cofounders of Je T’Aime Cupcakes and Cocktails, were selling their confections at the other end of Central Avenue near Whalley Avenue and were proving to be a popular stop, talking up their three best selling cupcakes: the Early Morning, the Chanana Berry, and the Butterfly Tea. Both Westville natives who have been best friends for 16 years — ​“and baking together just as long,” according to Harris — they began their business in July 2020, operating online only. They are currently in the process of opening a storefront in the CT Post Mall in Milford. This was their first ArtWalk.

“It’s amazing,” said Harris. ​“It’s so flooded with businesses and artists. There’s so much camaraderie, and it’s so welcoming and diverse.”

Beyond the vendor rows, children and adults took a break from the hot pavement in the grassy area where Molly Gamberdella’s ​“Proboscis Paradise” flower sculptures, made from plastic bags, swayed in the warm breeze. The multicolored installation proved to be a must-have photo op/selfie spot for many (including this reporter). It was an exquisite place to rest and revive and take in the sights.

One more vendor row was available to visitors over in the alley next to Mew Haven Cat Café, where artists specializing in ​“cat art and kitty crafts” offered their wares. In the window of the café, three cats lounged and looked on past the nonstop hordes. People were not only making their way to the events, but also waiting to get into Pistachio and Bella’s Cafe, as well as all of the other storefronts and galleries.

Those cats seemed to be the only ones resting, as there was still another four hours of activities and art to be had. It may have already been 80 degrees, but Westville was only getting warmed up.