By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The 48th Annual Smoky Hill Art Exhibition will kick off the 2017 Spring Art Walk Friday.

The free event will be 6:30-9:30 p.m. with art, music and performances at 21 downtown locations. An additional six locations outside of the downtown district will have early or extended hours.

See the Art Walk schedule here: art-walk-schedule

The Smoky Hill Art Exhibit is the longest running jurored art exhibit in the state. This year’s juror was Stephen Gleissner. It will run from Friday to June 3. It includes paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, sculpture, fiber and ceramics.

The exhibit and the Spring Art Walk are dedicated to the memory of arts patron and children’s art advocate Patricia Schmidt.

Brenda Meder, Hays Arts Council executive director, said this year’s art walk exhibition has a diverse selection from children’s art to professionals.

The event will take place rain or shine, and Meder encouraged participants to come out early. Although the art center will not be open to the public until 6:30 p.m., the Sternberg Museum, Styles Dance Studio, My Masterpiece, Catholic Charities, Indigo by Jasmine and Moss Thorns Gallery will all open early.

The event is a come-and-go evening.

“There is no order,” she said. “It is an art buffet. You can go to whatever you want whenever you want and stay as long as you want.”

Music lovers can extend their evening by visiting Gella’s Dinner from 9 to 11 p.m. to listen to The Andy T. Band, which is making a special stop in Hays on their way to a concert in Denver.

Students who have been taking an iron sculpture class at the arts council also will do an iron pour downtown Friday night.

The students prepared clay sculptures and then sand molds, and they will use the sand molds to pour the final pieces this weekend.