Art is an outlet to calm the storms, one Huntington art vendor said.

“Art used to always just be for me, but now I get to share it,” said Anthony Stevenson, first time art vendor and one of the few dozen vendors at the Huntington Art Walk.

His art was inspired by his struggle with addiction, he said. He struggled with addiction for 28 years and now uses it to help others out of their addictions. 

The Huntington Art Walk featured artists from the local and surrounding areas Friday, Sept. 19, at Pullman Square.

“Accessibility is our guiding mission,” said Courtney Chapman, one of the main organizers of the event, and the academic lab manager II for the Marshall Art Warehouse. 

It is free to attend for all ages and free to be a vendor at the Huntington Art Walk, something not often available to new vendors, she said.  

The Art Walk takes place in central Huntington and later in the day when many people are off work, Chapman said. 

“Art is available for everyone,” said Mollie Ashworth, representative for the Huntington Museum of Art. 

“It’s where culture and commerce meet,” vendor Derric Captiena said. 

“Good art is not cheap, and cheap art is not good,” Captiena said. 

The event is an economic driver for local businesses, event organizer Sydney DeVaney said. 

It’s good exposure for new artists, she said, a sentiment echoed by several vendors and artists. 

“I use art to process feelings of being different,”artist Luke Saunders said. They said they used art to vent, having faced adversity from a Catholic upbringing. 

There’s lots of diversity, said Oliver Lovejoy, local art vendor and Marshall University alum. There’s a variety of things done, he said. 

“If you can think of it, someone probably has done it,” he said. 

The amount of exposure artists received was a recurring theme among vendors. 

“I struggled with online selling,” Lovejoy said. “It 100% helps with exposure,” he said. 

It helps people see your art, local artist Tiffany Purvis said. People ask to put things in stores, and you get to hear about other events, she said. 

Also among artists at the Huntington Art Walk was Liv White, artist on the Chalk and Walk and representative for West Virginia American Water. 

“We need to get people thinking about how we have an impact on our source water,” White said. 

For the Huntington Art Walk, WVAW, Marshall University and the Huntington Storm Water utility partnered to raise awareness for the upcoming Source Water Protection Week. 

Pieces along the sidewalk were made of eco-friendly materials, depicting animals with slogans regarding the importance of safe source water. 

“Keep Life Flowing,” said one, depicting a mother duck guiding her ducklings. “Only Rain Down The Drain,” said another, with a cardinal standing among tree branches. 

The final Art in the Park will take place Friday, Oct. 17. New artists are encouraged to come out.

Phoenix Bishop can be contacted at [email protected].