Broad Ave. thriving as word gets around

T Clifton Art shows glass works by James Hayes and other artists tonight during the art walk.

Fireworks and free beer are part of the excitement at Friday night's Broad Avenue Spring Art Walk. Make that exhibits called "Fireworks" and "Free Beer."

The art walk, which takes place from 5 to 10 p.m. at businesses along Broad and Sam Cooper between Hollywood and Collins, is now one of two annual events to put a "new face on an old Broad," as last fall's celebration was dubbed.

For the spring installment, more than 40 artists will exhibit, complimented by an artist market, live music, wine tasting, a walk to raise awareness of domestic abuse, and a district "mud facial."

Large-scale installations by Julie Smetana are on display at the Mortimer Studio.

In the "Works on Paper" show: "Untitled Charcoal" (left) by Carl E. Moore and "Untitled" by Jay Crum (above).

T Clifton Art -- which will offer an exhibit of glass works by James Hayes, Glenda Kronke and Scott Gamble -- is one of a dozen locations with shows. Others include: photography by Panama-born Memphis College of Art graduate Bienvenido Howard at Splash Creative; a "Works on Paper" group show by MCA students at West Memorials; a photography exhibit by Live from Memphis at Adam Shaw Studio; and M. Foster's intriguingly titled installation "Free Beer" at Odessa.

The awareness-raising effort is paying off, according to art walk coordinator Pat Brown, manager for T Clifton Art and vice president of the Historic Broad Business Association, which is focused on organizing events and recruiting businesses to the area.

"We now have tremendous walk-in from people throughout the week," she says, noting that T Clifton's business is up 300 percent from two years ago, "which is great for an art gallery in the current economy."

Teresa White, owner of glassworking studio and alternative exhibition space Studio 1688, credits the Historic Broad Business Association with getting the word out on the district's offerings and charm. "It's really been a domino effect," says White, whose business will show "Fireworks," an exhibit of artwork by child artists, notably the hubcap sculptures and paintings of 7-year-old Everette Culler.

"It's growing faster than I expected it to," she says. "It reminds me of Cooper-Young back in the day."

Growth will also come this spring in the form of a new restaurant, Jack Magoo's; the continued development of a bike and pedestrian connector between Overton Park and the Greenline, and two public art projects, said Brown. The first art project will be created over two weeks, beginning April 23, by French muralist Guillaume Alby, who will turn 100 feet of warehouse wall into a work of art. Later in the year comes an artful transformation of the district's water tower.

Other Spring Art Walk highlights:

* Memphis Men for Memphis Women will kick things off with a "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" strut in high heels to support efforts against of domestic abuse.

* An Art of Wine fundraiser contributes toward development of the bike connector by letting folks sip while they stroll.

* Additional artisans and craftspeople will join the night's events, offering stained glass, jewelry and more in three nongallery locations as part of an Artist Market.

* And landscaper Michael Wyat will discuss the benefits of mudcrete prior to building a wall with the material in a district "mud facial" at 9 a.m. Saturday.

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Broad Avenue Spring Art Walk

5-10 p.m. Friday along Broad and Sam Cooper between Hollywood and Collins. Free; food and drink available for purchase. For details, call 323-2787 or go to broadavearts.com.

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