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Harlem Art Walk Tour leads with HAWT LUXE::Hot Looks Thu, Oct. 10th

Posted August 2, 2013

The 2013 Harlem Art Walk Tour (HAWT™) kicks off with an inaugural HAWT LUXE::Hot Looks runway show on Thursday, October 10th at Casa Frela Gallery at 47 West 119th Street, NYC from 6:30PM to 8:00PM ($20 for general admission and $75 for VIP admission), followed by the Artist Reception on Thursday, October 11th at 7:30PM – 9:30PM at Artist & Craftsman Supply, 2108 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd., and continues with the tour on Saturday, October 12th and Sunday, October 13th from noon to 6pm at over sixty venues throughout Central Harlem (free).

Casa Frela Gallery, located at 47 West 119th Street, is the cornerstone of the event, and the starting point where Guidebooks and information will be distributed to tour participants. The tour features the work of over 100 artists living and working in Harlem, as well as environmental tours and workshops, and educational outreach.

The HAWT™ inaugural HAWT LUXE::Hot Looks runway show features the spring 2014 lines of some of Harlem’s cutting-edge designers and boutiques. The HAWT™ Artist Reception will take place the next evening, which will be a meet-and-greet of many of the participating artists, entrepreneurs, sponsors, politicians and press. And what better way to celebrate the Harlem Art Walk Tour this year, than to have its Artist Reception hosted by Artist & Craftsman Supply – a community-minded employee-owned company, which opened up their newest branch in Harlem in 2013.

During the tour on Saturday and Sunday, visitors will enjoy a relaxing weekend and discover new artwork, galleries and businesses, and meet both emerging and established artists from Harlem’s vibrant art scene. HAWT’s new Map App, QR code and Guidebook highlight the various stops on the walking tour, including open artist studios and galleries, cafés and eateries, and shops as well as cultural and historic venues. In addition, HAWT™ 2013 will have welcoming and knowledgeable volunteers stationed at key points on the tour, to answer guests questions and help direct them. A wide array of art forms will be featured including sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, painting, photography, etchings and textiles.

Environmental and educational components will be added this year as HAWT™ 2013 partners with MilliontreesNYC and PS 149 Sojourner Truth School. Throughout the weekend, HAWT™ 2013 will invite guests into the newly dedicated Walter Miller III Memorial Sculpture Garden on 13 W. 119th Street, offer guided tours of Marcus Garvey Park and Harlem’s Bronze Statues and host MilliontreesNYC and the 119th Street Trees workshops. HAWT™ 2013 will also feature selected artwork from the student artists of PS 149 Sojourner Truth School.

HAWT™ emerged out of the former Harlem Open Artist Studio Tour (HOAST). Under the direction of Lawrence Rodriguez, Casa Frela Gallery is now beacon to what is Harlem's premier arts event. HAWT™ is a part of Open House New York – OHNY 2013.