By Steven Hughes Sun Correspondent
Gallup’s summer ArtsCrawls are a beloved tradition. The monthly events that are held from April to October each year allow creatives of all kinds and local businesses in the surrounding blocks around Coal Avenue Commons show off their skills, ideas, and techniques to not only wow audiences but to make some money from their work.
“I think it’s the interaction with the people I like the most,” Thomas Kaus, a woodwork artist and artist member at gallupARTS who often sells pieces during Arts Crawl, wrote in an email. “I like it when they stop and look and ask questions. The best is when the little kids come up and point to some of my work and shout out who or what those pieces represent, whether it’s an animal or a character from a movie. It makes me smile and feel good.”
DOWNTOWN GALLUP OFFERS CREATIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Gallup Business Improvement District oversees ArtsCrawl’s execution. But the real stars of the show are the community’s love for supporting local creatives.
“I think the reason that Arts Crawl is so loved by our community, has had tremendous growth over the years, and has become kind of the flagship event for Downtown Gallup is that it is community driven,” Rose Eason, executive director for gallupARTS, said. “Everyone is showing up to participate, as a vendor, as an attendee, or some kind of performance or entertainment, and it feels like the community coming together to celebrate not just art, but creativity.”
Although Downtown Gallup is the center for creativity and its appreciation, Coal Avenue Commons is at the heart of it all. Creative community leaders and supporters pushed for a redevelopment project to make the blocks event-oriented.
According to the city’s website about the area, the city and gallupARTS got a $150,000 Our Town grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Eason said they needed more funding to conduct the construction. The city noted it received funding from the state, Gallup BID, Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments, State of New Mexico Department of Transportation, and Gallup Mainstreet Arts & Cultural District to gather approximately $3 million.
“ArtsCrawl was one of the reasons to reconceive Coal Avenue as an event street, along with our parades and other events that take place downtown, but the goal was to make it more conducive to hosting events,” Eason said. “[GallupARTS was] responsible for getting the community involved with the planning of the street, the design process, and getting artists involved in coming up with some creative design concepts and solutions.”
As the Sun reported in 2023, the city developed ADA-compliant sidewalks, new benches, landscaping, and lighting, and a new signal at the intersection of Coal Avenue and Second Street, to name a handful of changes.
Now, the newly developed Coal Avenue Commons looks like a modern festival grounds, with vivid stones under feet and an openness that feels engaging. Eason said ArtsCrawl brings all kinds of creatives in culinary, performance, and visual arts.
Art123, a gallery on Coal Avenue, celebrated its 10th anniversary during May’s ArtsCrawl. In their typical fashion, the gallery organized a show. They had a decade’s worth of approximately 300 artists to open their call to. Eason said approximately 19 artists were able to participate. She said it offered a variety of art for display during ArtsCrawl, garnering a constant crowd at the event.
