Check out the return of Art Around Town

<p>News Tribune file</p><p>Gail Barnickol spins wool to demonstrate the process at The Art Bazaar during a past Art Around Town Gallery Crawl. The event returns to the Capital City on Oct. 7.</p>

News Tribune file

Gail Barnickol spins wool to demonstrate the process at The Art Bazaar during a past Art Around Town Gallery Crawl. The event returns to the Capital City on Oct. 7.

Jefferson City residents are invited to "get their art on" with the return of the Art Around Town crawl.

The Jefferson City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department art crawl event is free; attendees can pick up a map at any of 11 the participating locations around town and start wherever they'd like. It's scheduled to run 4-8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 7.

"Jefferson City is so large, and what people don't realize is every part of town has some sort of art establishment so there's a lot of organizations that support local art," said Leann Porrello, the JC Parks cultural arts specialist. "A lot of people just don't know that there are so many businesses that are supportive of artists and local art so this crawl is to bring that awareness to the community."

Since it's spread across town, Porrello encourages attendees to pick up a map and plan your route. Several locations are clustered downtown, for example, so attendees could start at the outliers then drive downtown and walk between the others.

There are also two bars on the list - Gumbo Bottoms and Last Flight Brewing Company - which Porrello said likely will see more foot traffic at the end of the evening. She noted both locations are family friendly.

While most people stay about 10-15 minutes at each location, some places may intrigue visitors to stay longer, like the Jefferson City Museum of Modern Art, a first-time participant in the art crawl.

"JCMoMA has world renown artists so not many people are able to experience art that may be in the Louvre and all these different high-quality museums so I anticipate people spending a little more time at a place like that," she said. "There's more to see and more to learn."

In addition to fine art, the crawl will showcase a full spectrum of art opportunities including crafts for the children and even pet friendly activities - Art 101 on Boonville specializes in pet portraits, and Last Flight Brewing Company is also pet friendly, Porrello said.

The following locations and activities are scheduled for the crawl, though more may be added:

- Capital Arts Gallery, 1203 Missouri Blvd. - Jefferson City Art Club Professional Exhibition, meet and greet with artists, art demonstrations and live music.

- Cottonstone Art Gallery, 116 E. High St. - History of the Capital City.

- Gumbo Bottoms, 221 Madison St. - Artwork by artists from Four Quarters Art House and Capital Arts.

- Jefferson City Museum of Modern Art, 220 E. High St. - Art by Purvis Young, Thornton Dial and Aboudia.

- Art 101 on Boonville, 101 Boonville Road - Studio tour, artist demonstrations, and teacher meet and greets.

- The Art Bazaar, 1502 E. High St. - Mix of arts and fibers on display.

- Missouri River Regional Library, 2nd floor art gallery, 214 Adams St. - Photography exhibit by Steven Strauch that depicts Missouri landscape.

- The Art Gallery Studio, 1014 Northeast Drive - New studio with variety of art classes and an artist meet and greet.

- Unique Creations, 120 E. High St. - DIY art experience to create pottery, mosaics, canvas and jewelry.

- Unique Creations Candle Bar, 114 E. High St. - DIY candle-making experience.

- Last Flight Brewing Company, 738 Heisinger Road - Local artist and teacher Rachel Choma, live music and food truck.

For more information, visit the JCMO Art Around Town Facebook event.