Travis Carbonella
Rocky Lawrence & Thabisa recording performances outside their homes for this year’s virtual ArtWalk.
Westville’s artistic and community-building movers and shakers are not letting a pandemic wipe out their annual ArtWalk celebration.
They’ve found a way to pull off the two-day blow-out with all the variety of performers and events, but without the dangers of in-person crowds.
The event takes place, as scheduled, this Friday night and Saturday.
Instead of gathering in public, people will follow and participate online for the two days. Westville will be spreading the communal vibes, without spreading the coronavirus.
To make it happen, organizers got to work early. This past Saturday, Travis Carbonella’s video crew arranged to record two quiet outdoor performances as part of the action.
Blues guitarist Rocky Lawrence set up a mic on the front porch of his McKinley Avenue home. He dived into an energetic set of classics ranging from Big Bill Broonzy’s “Key to the Highway” to Robert Johnson’s “Love in Vain” and “Sweet Home Chicago.” At the end, two neighborhood harmonica players, Mark Zaretsky and Scott McLean, joined from a safe distance from the stoop.
As Carbonella’s cameras rolled from a distance on the lawn, a smattering of masked passersby and neighbors stopped at socially-distanced spots on all four corners of the block to sway and take in the vibes. It wasn’t a crowd. But it still felt like a moment.
Hours later, the camera crew reassembled in the backyard of South African-born recording artist and songwriter Thabisa, who recorded a set as well.
Both those performances will be aired during ArtWalk this weekend.
“The program will be live starting at 6 p.m. Friday and featuring a Dj set by Dooley‑O, Alisa, The Regicides improv troupe and a special edition of Chrissy Gardner’s popular Moose Piano Lounge,” reports organizer Lizzy Donius of the Westville Village Renaissance Association.
“On Saturday we will start at 11 a.m., and highlights include concerts by Thabisa and Rocky, our rubber duckie race (there is still time to buy a duck!), video tours of the artists’ studios, greeting from the businesses, ‘blasts from the past,’ as well as live-streaming of T‑shirt screen printing, spin art and more!”
The rubber duckie race, by the way, will be live streamed. In both senses of the term.
Click here to learn more about what’s taking place and how to tune in.