Arts on the Avenues in Larchmont

by Michelle Falkenstein

For the month of April, people choosing blossoms at Larchmont’s The Flower Bar can also pick out their favorite impressionistic landscape painting by Port Chester artist Deborah Petrucci. And those trying on glasses at Kurt Sauer Opticians can check their vision with artist Zahra Jlayer’s swirling abstract paintings.

On April 2, Larchmont will become a strolling art gallery when Arts on the Avenues begins. The event, hosted by the Larchmont Chamber of Commerce, pairs Westchester artists with local businesses, who then work together to choose and display artworks in the shops.

This second annual Arts on the Avenues (the “avenues” being Palmer Avenue and Larchmont Avenue) includes more sponsors, more artists, and what organizers believe will be more fun thanks to an expanded range of related activities for both adults and children.

“We’re hoping to generate business in the village as we highlight the great artists of Westchester,” says Ximena Francella, chair of this year’s planning committee.

Laura Saravia, this year’s event curator and coordinator, made it her mission to work exclusively with artists based in the County. Supporting Westchester-based makers is something of a personal mission for Saravia, a graphic designer who founded Westchester Handmade, a support organization for the County’s creatives.

Saravia chose this year’s artists through an open call and invitational. “Part of the curation was finding artists who were complimentary to the stores,” she explains. “We’re trying to build relationships.”

Nancy White, owner of The Flower Bar and president of the Larchmont Chamber of Commerce, voiced her excitement about the 2022 events calendar. “There are activities going on throughout the month, not just on opening and closing days,” she says. 

The festivities begin on the morning of April 2 at the Palmer Art framer shop, where kids will work with pop artist Michael Albert on a collage project. That afternoon, the community will take part in the coloring of a Love Larchmont canvas mural, and students from the School of Rock Mamaroneck will present a musical performance in Addison Park. Also on the agenda are guided walking tours, paper flower-making workshops at independent bookstore Andersons Larchmont, a hand-stamping necklace workshop with jewelry-maker Georgianna Kulianos, and an artist panel discussion at The Idea Kitchen, Larchmont’s co-working space.          

From April 1 to June 30, the nonprofit Furniture Sharehouse, which provides donated furniture to those in need, will display artworks at The Idea Kitchen for a fundraising sale. On April 21, they will host a brief talk, followed by a presentation by BAM Art Advisory founder Brooke Molinaroli.

Over Larchmont Spring Break, from April 11-18, a scavenger hunt will take participants on a search for illustrations of famous artists hidden around town, after which they’ll enter the locations in a “passport.” Completed passports can be entered into a drawing for a basket of art supplies and other gifts.

Concurrent to the festival, Mamaroneck Artists Guild will present its 17th Annual Small Works Open Juried Show through April 23. On April 26, a solo show by photographer Mark Swartz will open there.

On closing day, April 30, Andersons Larchmont will offer community craft project workshops. In addition, Johnny Skinz, owner of the Larchmont-based custom sneaker service Skinz Time, will demonstrate sneaker painting. New Jersey-based Ani Ramen House, the event’s main sponsor which opens its first Westchester location in Larchmont just one day before the start of Arts on the Avenues, will host a closing reception for the artists, sponsors, friends and families.

It all adds up to an artful month in Larchmont. “This is part of what makes Larchmont such a great place to live,” says White.

A version of this article first appeared in the April 2022 issue of ArtsNews, ArtsWestchester’s monthly publication. ArtsNews is distributed throughout Westchester County. A digital copy is also available at artsw.org/artsnews.