Feature Story and Photos By Larry H. Oskin
The exciting City of Clermont Art District is in the final stages, so the Art Walk will soon be ready to open this fall. The Art District will bring an extraordinary new high-end art focus to Downtown Clermont. The first phase of Art Walk will go from Montrose Street to Minneola Avenue. The public Clermont Art Walk will eventually be developed to go from West Montrose to the Lake, before complete finalization. The accompanying Art District building is now starting to rent four large spaces targeted to hopeful new restaurants, food service businesses and art gallery ventures. There will be extra space dedicated for fun, festival events, outdoor dining and parking.
The Clermont Art Walk project is a special public-private partnership between the City of Clermont and The Art District, LLC., owned by Alex and Ryan Stringfellow with Troy Stackhouse. The Art District, LLC provided the planning, design and processing approvals with the assistance of Clermont City Council and Staff. The Art Walk team is working together to help rebrand Downtown Clermont. This project will make the Art Walk a top destination for festivals, shopping and tourism for the entire Downtown Clermont area. They also want to help accelerate the Downtown Clermont community area to foster a complete appreciation of the arts.
Outdoor Art and Wall Murals: During Downtown Clermont festivals and events, artists, crafters and vendors will be able to put tents up along the entire Art Walk. There will be 8 large wall art murals and interactive art at the Art Walk entrance. While the special event tents will go up and down, the interactive art will be permanent, for the benefit of the public. One large wall art mural will soon be selected via a competition from the local Clermont High School art departments. To enter the Art Walk wall mural competitions and to be a considered artist, contact Jenna Degan Stringfellow at 352-217-7710 and Jenna@StringfellowPlanning.com for more information and an application.
The Art Walk offers a beautiful respite with a nice natural breeze and a cooling set of outdoor fans under the overhead pavilion-style roof. Many Downtown Clermont visitors are already stopping by to check it all out, while taking photographs at the Wings sculpture. The large art murals will soon be started. As part of Clermont’s $30 million Master Plan to revitalize downtown, this beautiful brick open-air Art Walk thoroughfare will be an exciting new venue for local residents and area tourists can shop, visit art galleries and eat with the adjacent new Clermont Art District.
Plaques To Honor Art Walk Sponsors and Donors: Space has been dedicated to showcase those civic-minded benefactors who have graciously donated money towards this Clermont beautification project. Thirty bronze plaques will recognize each of these donors along the entire brick walkway between West Montrose and West Minneola Streets. The plaques along the brick walkway are from individuals and families to help honor a family member or an individual who have served to honor our community.
The East Side of Art Walk Plaques will help recognize the long-standing families, matriarchs and patriarchs of our community. The West Side will help recognize the younger up and coming Clermont community leaders, influencers and philanthropists.
Coming Soon: The SOUTH LAKE TABLET is doing a series on the community leaders and long-standing families recognized on the Art Walk plaques.
The second phase of the Art District will also require more sponsorship funding to expand down to West Osceola Street by Lake Minneola. While Art Walk, LLC is fronting most of the costs for this enormous project, the City of Clermont will eventually reimburse all but 10% of the costs.
Coming Soon: The SOUTH LAKE TABLET will be doing a series on the community leaders and long-standing families recognized on the Art Walk plaques.
For more Clermont Art Walk & Art District information, contact Alex Stringfellow at 1455 West Lakeshore Drive, Clermont, FL 34711-2941, Phone: 352-394-6004, Email: Alex@StringfellowPlanning.com.
