Westerly Art Crawl in 2025

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As we enter 2025 the Westerly Art Crawl will take on a new look in February with a new logo and will be coordinated by Kevin Crowleym of the Living Shark museum. Kevin is no newcommer to the Arts Crawl… Kevin explaines:

“My goal is to make Westerly Arts inclusive, stylistically diverse and a platform to advocate for our ever-growing arts community.”

A Little History: In the early 2000’s, the Westerly Downtown Business Association (DBA) and the Artist’s Cooperative Gallery of Westerly (ACGOW) worked together to establish a monthly Art Stroll in downtown Westerly. Keith Cowley, a science illustrator and designer who was hosting artists at his Wild Animal Trust gallery in the old McCormick’s building on the Pawcatuck River, helped design the first art stroll map, ASCOW brochure and marketing materials while also creating the DBA’s first website.

Kevin pushed for the state of RI to keep downtown Westerly designated as a tax-free arts district, part of his role with the Keepspace program as the town revamped its Comprehensive Plan. He was a consultant during the formation of the Westerly Regional Arts Partnership (WRAP), representing area artists and musicians while working as the Entertainment Manager at Perks & Corks.

The Westerly Arts Co-op eventually moved from High Street to Canal Street. Once the pandemic hit, the Art Stroll dissolved, and the United Theatre renovations shifted the Co-op to its current location at the Westerly Train Station on Railroad Ave. In 2023, Annie Wildey, renowned local artist and owner of Air Gallery met with Cowley and other downtown artists, and spearheaded the revival under the moniker Westerly Arts Crawl, fantastically bringing together a post-covid growing arts scene. As the Air Gallery closes its doors to invite a new chapter for Wildey, she has passed the reigns back to Cowley who now hosts artists in his gallery at Living Sharks Museum, and the Westerly Arts Crawl lives on!

Follow Westerly Arts on IG and FB for the latest updates about open galleries, art crawl schedules, artist highlights and more!