When Lucia Droby and other early organizers of Wiscasset Art Walk were planning its 2013, inaugural season, their strategy was to “start small and simple and then build the event, and to develop the WAW to appeal to the larger community,” Droby recalled.

“Ten years later, Wiscasset Art Walk is a destination event in Midcoast Maine. We have lots of locals strolling the sidewalks, and we welcome visitors from all parts of Maine, the region, and across the country,” Droby said. “Wiscasset Art Walk celebrates the Village as the town’s centerpiece and welcomes everyone who wants to take part! And that’s just where we want to be!”

In a new email interview, Droby, owner of Carriage House Gardens, reflected on WAW’s first decade and looked ahead to this year – including special plans for the September finale – and beyond.

WAW started with a large group planning it, including shop owners, pier vendors, creatives, interested residents, and Maine Arts Commission consultants, talking over every aspect of it and making group decisions aimed at maximizing the event’s appeal. Said Droby, “When everyone around the table agreed, we knew our decisions would assure success!”

Droby also credited the village’s “extraordinary” businesses, and its being next to the Sheepscot River and along a tourist route, Route One. “We have significant historical architecture, and we’re welcoming,” she added. “For a visitor, there’s so much to see and do; for an event organizer, there’s so many stories to tell!”

By now, WAW – still with its four monthly installments from June through September – “practically unfolds on its own – I just give it a nudge,” Droby said: The galleries and other village shops know what to do, like offering refreshments and otherwise attracting and welcoming WAW goers, she explained.

“Mostly what I do now is add the frou-frou, tie the bow on the package, put the icing on the cake! I look for the unexpected and try to present experiences that may be new to our visitors, like making your own music, weaving, painting, juggling, or holding the hand of a stilt-walker!”

Does she see passing the torch ever, or is it more likely WAW will only continue as long as it has her and her level of commitment to it? Droby said galleries and shops could choose an evening “for locals and visitors to stroll and enjoy. It’s the additional programming, which gives WAW its special glow, that could be a challenge.

“The street musicians, the fun and unexpected performers like stilt walkers and hip hop dancers, and the participatory activities that we started introducing in 2019 would need dedicated time and energy,” Droby continued. “To keep this planning going, the WAW has to be better ‘institutionalized’ with a flow of new people constantly getting involved. I’m hoping that will happen as the Wiscasset Creative Alliance, the WAW’s non-profit parent organization, addresses the need for a volunteer pipeline, and not just for WAW, but for many community initiatives throughout Wiscasset and beyond.”

Sylvan Gallery owner Ann Scanlan, one of the early planners and a longtime participant, doubted WAW would have ever happened without Droby. “She’s a force of nature.”

As an artist and as a business owner, Scanlan said meeting people is her favorite part of each WAW. “Some people probably would not have come into the gallery for the first time if it wasn’t an art walk,” she said. 

In 2020, the start of the pandemic, WAW missed June. Said Droby, “It was very disappointing to have nothing to do on that night so that problem needed to be solved – and thus was born Walk Around Wiscasset. We invited people to come into the Village, walk around, and wave to friends and strangers – our version of the Italian passeggiata!

“If you remember, it was a time of masking and, especially, keeping distance. In August of 2020, Walk Around Wiscasset invited people to come to the Village dressed in white to honor the Suffragists and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. It was thrilling to see lots of women – and men – strolling the Village in white. We even had a re-enactor, Elizabeth Palmer, dressed in her Suffragist costume and holding the suffrage flag. What a great night!”

After a decade, Droby still enjoys working with the businesses, groups and performers, and said she is “so grateful” for WAW’s sponsors. “Even most of our newer sponsors have been consistently supporting WAW for years! It’s gratifying to see that we have business support from throughout the Wiscasset community.”

Groups and organizations taking part have included Garden Club of Wiscasset, New Hope for Women, Lincoln County Historical Association, Maine Art Gallery, Wiscasset Area Chamber of Commerce, Partners in Education, among others; and, this season, Friends of Wiscasset Public Library. The groups get to share their missions with the public, and their presence enriches the art walks, Droby added.

This year, Wiscasset Art Walk – always the last Thursday of the month – is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 29, July 27, Aug. 31 and Sept. 28, except the Sept. 28 one has a special feature – a block party called “Hold Back the Night!” – inspired by the earlier nightfall that always befalls the September art walk. “We’ll push back against the early darkness with a dance party featuring contra band T-Acadie, a wood-fired pizza truck, and Jodi’s Bakery & Café’s celebration cupcakes for a crowd! See you on Water St. – under the big tent – from about 6:30 to 9 p.m.,” Droby shared from an announcement.

For WAW updates, visit Wiscasset Art Walk on Facebook or Instagram or at wiscassetartwalk.org