By Lookout Staff

July 19, 2011 – “The world's longest art gallery” – that's what the Montana Avenue Merchants Association is calling its annual display of the creative arts.

The Second Annual Montana Avenue Artwalk will feature an evening of art, music, dining and fun from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday night.

Original work in all mediums, ranging from photography and fine art, to woven tapestry and jewelry design will be on display along a ten-block stretch on Montana Avenue from 7th to 17th Streets.

Art lovers will get to indulge more than their visual taste – refreshments will include champagne, chocolate, tea and cookies and musicians will be on hand to add to the evening's ambiance.

The area's restaurants will offer specials, as will many of the stores along the way.

Visitors of all ages will be able to take part in live art events, either watching new works being produced, or making their own unique creations.

Last year, candlemaking, signed fine prints from Marvel Comics, glitter tattoo art for kids and grown-ups, and Italian Prosecco were among the treats on hand. This year promises a similar array of fanciful delights.

This year's artists include Herb Kornfeld, whose renderings of California nature will be on view at The Language of Flowers, former production designer and backdrop painter Josh Stedman, whose creations will be shown at Christina Lynn, and nature photographs from Alaska to Rwanda by KDF Images.

Among the many musicians performing Thursday, American Primitive will provide a bluegrass-gypsy-jazz-samba beat, singer/guitarist Juliette Roberts will soothe patrons with a gentler style, and the ExPats will energize the crowd with their international brand of folk-rock.

Visitors will find metered parking all along Montana Avenue and unmetered parking on adjacent side streets.

Those who want to enjoy the car-free pleasures of last weekend's “Carmaheaven” for a bit longer can take the Big Blue Bus number 3, which stops on Montana Avenue between Lincoln to San Vicente Boulevards. Or, they can ride their bikes.

For more details, see the Montana Avenue Merchants Association website.