Mount Kisco turns storefronts into galleries for first Art Walk

By AMY SOWDER 

Artwork by Linda Cindrich is displayed at Blue Heron Tea and Coffee shop. AMY SOWDER PHOTO

Jessica M. Colón drifted from storefront to storefront through downtown Mount Kisco, pausing to study paintings, quilts and mixed media tucked into shop windows and on café walls across the village. 

By the time Colón reached the last one, she said it felt like the whole town had come alive. “It’s just so exciting how many creative people live here,” said Colón, president of the Mount Kisco Arts Council.

That sense of creative discovery was at the heart of the first Mount Kisco Art Walk. The inaugural community event — running May 12 through May 16 before being extended through May 22 — transformed downtown storefronts into galleries, displaying 104 works from local adult and student artists across 27 locations along Main Street, East Main Street, Kirby Plaza and South Moger Avenue.

The Mount Kisco Elementary School Association, the Mount Kisco Arts Council and the Mount Kisco Chamber of Commerce collaborated to create the event. A closing reception at St. Mark's Episcopal Church last weekend drew more than 80 attendees.

“It reminded me why we chose this town five years ago,” said Colón. “It’s a walkable town with a lot of mom-and-pop shops, and I love that.”

Colón helped bring Arts Council artists into the fold, securing contributions from adult artists and the use of the parish hall as a venue. 

The idea originated with Enza Ferrante, a third-grade parent and MKESA fundraising chair, who drew inspiration from a Brooklyn art walk. She assembled a parent committee and worked with the chamber and arts council to organize the showcase. Participating locations ranged from coffee shops and bakeries to boutiques, the Mount Kisco Public Library, banks and beauty salons.

Almost half of the 104 pieces were created by kindergarten through sixth-grade students during a Kids Night Out workshop. Whitney McDermott, a MKES parent and professional welder whose credits include Broadway’s “The Lion King,” helped lead the workshop and mounted the children’s work on canvases.

“The vision is to turn Mount Kisco into an art gallery for two weeks,” said Stacey Mun, assistant treasurer on the steering committee and a MKES mom. “It’s to celebrate our community’s creativity, to show kids that you can stay creative as adults, and to make the kids’ creativity feel special."

Artist John Rice's work can be seen at Limited Unlimited Jewelers

Adult artists included Mary Negro, Alecia Blake, Gregg Lorberbaum, John Rhodes, Heidi Wilde, Aeneas Eaton, Linda Cindrich, JoAnne Hochstein, John Rice, Michael Chiariello, Minda Lees, Arturo, Monique Ford, Genevieve Lombino, Steve Goldstein, Patrick Morrissey, Shonan Noronha, Phil Poirier and Whitney McDermott. 

They donated pieces with the option to split proceeds 50/50 with MKESA. Everyone chose to give their full share to the organization. Visitors bid on pieces through the Zeffy app throughout the show’s run.

The closing reception, made possible by the Rev. Kyle Martindale of St. Mark’s, featured food, jewelry and art booths, and raffle prizes from local businesses including Bricks & Minifigs and Exit 4. Local businesses such as Vine & Co. and ChknBox donated the wine and food. The evening also featured a performance by Agrupación Cultural Sumak Taky Llakta N.Y., an Ecuadorian folk dance group based in Peekskill.

“It’s a MKESA fundraiser, but it’s also to highlight something beautiful in the community,” Mun said. “It brought out that there’s so much creativity here.”

Colón agreed. “This is the first Art Walk of many,” she said, “We’re raising little community-oriented, civic-minded children.”