The City of Moscow and the Moscow Chamber of Commerce have partnered for years to produce the Moscow Artwalk, a celebration of dozens of different art forms, hundreds of artists and nearly all of the local businesses in Moscow.

City of Moscow Arts Director Kathleen Burns loves that the Artwalk brings so many people from all over the community together.

“We get to celebrate fine art, craft art, performance art and music together in one central event,” Burns said. “It gives everyone the opportunity to meet their neighbors and learn more about the local businesses that are available.”

The Moscow Artwalk is a place for artists of all talent levels to share their work with the community. New artists have the ability to learn from their more established peers and those veteran artists can draw inspiration from new, younger minds.

Jenny Ford, executive director of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce, believes this aspect makes the Artwalk a great opportunity for students studying art in the area to be introduced to their future career path.

“Exposing the students in the area to established local artists and newer artists allows them to understand the struggles they may have to face before reaching their artistic goals,” Ford said.

To celebrate the Artwalk, Moscow has been decorated with several art installations to make the town into a piece of art. Several utility boxes around the city have been wrapped in vinyl pieces and other public instillations such as a mosaic piece at City Hall and a sculpture at the Moscow Public Library will be revealed during the Artwalk at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. respectively Friday.

Several different art forms will be highlighted throughout Artwalk. Chris Carlson, a 3D chalk artist, will spend much of Thursday and Friday creating a piece in front of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and answering questions about his craft.

Businesses around Moscow will be showcasing works of art such as sculpture, photography, acrylic flat art and more as well.

“I think it’s incredibly important not only to community members but also for the youth to be exposed to different artistic [mediums],” Ford said. “It gives them an opportunity to see different potential interests they could have and different cultures they might not have had access to before.”

Throughout the Artwalk, several groups will be playing live music to celebrate the aspect of performing arts.

“Live music is so real,” Burns said. “Understanding how music is produced and seeing the personality on its own is magical.”

The Moscow Artwalk will begin at 5 p.m. Friday throughout the city of Moscow. Seventy-four businesses around the town will be hosting artist receptions intermittently throughout the weekend and admission is free. For more information visit the City of Moscow website.