Art Walk showcases talent as Downtown Victoria comes alive  

Art Walk showcases talent as Downtown Victoria comes alive  

Published 6:15 am Monday, September 29, 2025

Weather conditions for the 4th annual Victoria Film Festival and first Art Walk of the fall season were ideal last Friday night as temperatures dropped into the high 70s. For four hours, Main Street in Victoria once again became alive with crowds buzzing around and checking out the highly anticipated event.

Deleon Plaza was filled with artists and vendors showing off their wares. 

The VISD Ballet Folklorico and Victoria West’s theatre group performed on stage, while paintings by TJ Alvarado, Cora Smith and Mr. Artiste dazzled attendees. 

Artwork from local elementary, middle school and high school students were featured in a Sculpture Garden of cardboard creations. 

Branching off from the Plaza, artists were set up along South Main from Forrest Street to Church Street—five blocks of artists, musicians, and vendors. Businesses like Here’s the Scoop, Mother Cluckers, Fossati’s Delicatessen and Lily Grace were open after hours, not only to let customers do some Friday night shopping but to house artists outside and within their shops. It created a trail of entertainment for the public to follow. 

Like most of the downtown events happening in recent weeks, there were incentives to visiting as many of the spaces as possible. People could get a card where they would collect stamps from specific locations participating in the Art Walk for a chance to win gift cards from some of the participating businesses, or merchandise from The Box Coffee Bar and participating artists.  

The Art Walk is an event that welcomes all artists of all ages and mediums. Bill Baur, an experienced potter of over 20 years, works with the Victoria Art League and holds pottery classes for beginners and experienced potters.

Jacqueline Wolma, a woman who has been making custom jewelry for two years and has been oil painting for only four months sold her works as prints on t-shirts. Another local artist, 13 year-old Leah Zuniga, displayed her acrylic works that she has been selling since the first Art Walk three years ago. 

The Weekend of the Arts is yet again another event that has breathed life into Downtown Victoria, where it showcases and supports local talent and businesses.

Kapish Chand, a Victoria West High School 2025 graduate, returned home for the weekend and attended the Art Walk for the first time. 

“This is really cool,” Chand said. There weren’t many events like this while he was growing up in Victoria.” Chand thought it was great “to see all the cool stuff of our community out here.” 

Greg Hook, who works security at Citizens’ Hospital, was happy to see an evening event with people happily walking the downtown streets without a care.

“It’s really good for after hours, some place for people to go in the evening and feel safe.” Hook said.

Ashley Rambo is a freelance writer for the Victoria Advocate.