St. Elmo is hosting its first biannual Incline Art Crawl at the foot of Lookout Mountain Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 14-15. Highlighting art not only from local artists but from national artists as well, the Incline Art Crawl will be a space where artists can display and sell their work, but it is not meant to showcase only art. The community itself will also be on display, with the event serving to encourage visitors and locals to meander through the neighborhood.
Art show visitors will receive a "passport" full of printed art and discounts to local businesses such as Mad Knight Brewing Co., The Tap House and Mojo Burrito.
Being held at the base of the Incline, the event is designed to attract tourists and locals alike.
"The iconic and oft-photographed mass transit railway is the gateway to our world of visitors," said St. Elmo resident Elizabeth Miller, who is organizing the event. "A large outdoor art show during fall foliage will be a lovely spectacle. Tourists on-board will see a cultural celebration of locals in the center of an attractive business district."
The goal of the crawl is to support artists and "create lasting and mutually benefiting cultural partnerships between businesses, locals, tourists and recreation for the Southside and Chattanooga community at large," Miller said. And it seems to already be working.
Though this is the first Incline Art Crawl, Miller said word is traveling fast and the community is abuzz - leading to another crawl already being planned for March.
"We have great buy-in from the cultural creative community who are posting posters and sharing on social media," she said. "We have around 30 artists and performers and buy-in from village businesses with the passport specials."
The crawl will feature 2-D hanging art, 3-D sculptural art, furniture, yard art, vintage costumes, photography, performance art including singing, spoken word and harp-playing, and a variety of other mixed media.
"It's a truly diverse show," Miller said. "All skill levels, all ages, internationals, locals, various ethnicities."
The event is being held at Old Mountain Road at the base of the Incline from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. both days and everyone is invited.
Miller describes it as a "colorful, festive event during the prettiest time to be on the mountain, serving the artists as well as the community as well as the international visitors."
For information, contact her at horadiocafe@gmail.com.