By CHRISTINE BOATWRIGHT / Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – Artists and musicians will converge on Montevallo during two upcoming events in the heart of the city.

The second Montevallo Art Walk will take place on Main Street March 31 from 4-8 p.m.

“We have over 20 local artists signed up,” organizer and City Council member Hollie Cost said. “At the last one (in October), we had over 30 student artists.”

Local businesses host the artists’ works, and the street is full of music and art demonstrations.

A group of residents decided to begin holding art walks in Montevallo.

“We have what we call the Art Walk Posse. We’re an unincorporated, unauthorized group of people who want to have an art walk in Montevallo,” Cost said. “We’ll have them in fall, spring and summer, and we had over 50 artists last time. The businesses reported increased sales, and some even quadrupled their sales that night. It’s a nice revitalization effort for downtown.”

The walk will also feature a bench competition, as the Art Walk’s theme is “Life’s a bench,” Cost said. Artists will submit benches made of recycled materials, and the winner will receive a $500 prize.

“City will retain the right to keep al the benches, and we’ll install them around town,” she said.

A free wine tasting will be at Parnell Memorial Library featuring wines from Vizzini Farms Winery in Calera.

In case of rain, the Art Walk will be held on the following Saturday, April 7, Cost said.

Two weeks later, the sixth annual Montevallo Art Show will host vendors at Orr Park from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The Montevallo Arts Council will sponsor the show.

The art show will feature local musicians, a host of artists and food vendors, and a new competition will heat up beginning at 10:30 a.m.

A plein air-quick draw will pit artists against each other as they have two hours to paint something in the park.

“At the end, that painting will be judged, and will have been done in oil, so it will be wet,” said Suzanne Hurst, president of Montevallo Arts Council. “There’ll be a prize awarded to first and second place. Those paintings will be for sale.

“You can actually watch someone painting, so that’ll be neat,” she added.

For more information about the Montevallo Art Show, visit Montevalloartscouncil.org.