Though harsh weather may have deterred art lovers from strolling the streets of South Portland to check out the galleries this winter, the artists are ready to revive the vision they had a year ago this spring.

According to Stephen Popp, owner of the Old Crow Gallery on Cottage Road, starting in June, the Second Saturday Art Stroll will be back in full force. Just weeks before, Westbrook will hold its first ever Fourth Friday Art Walk. And in Biddeford, the self-guided tour of the city’s art offerings, held the last Thursday of every month, is still going strong after a year.

Both artists and organizers say it’s no surprise these events are popping up all around Greater Portland. Between support from local governments and cheaper rent for studios that are just off the beaten path, Maine’s small cities are developing their own unique cultural scenes.

“There’s so much talent, it’s unbelievable,” Popp said about artists in Maine. “I really think the Portland area’s where it’s at for the arts.”

Though galleries hold openings all the time, art walks are more attractive to viewers because many galleries are open at a set time, offering food and music along with the art. According to Popp, the more casual setting makes people feel comfortable about bringing their families and walking in and out of galleries as they choose.

Initially, about six galleries and shops in South Portland and Cape Elizabeth signed up to participate in the art walk, but unpredictable weather led to unpredictable crowds, and though some galleries stayed open every second Saturday, there wasn’t as much consistency as Popp had hoped. By keeping the Second Saturday Art Stroll to the warmer months, he thinks both artists and walkers will be more committed to coming.

People like Popp may be well aware of the creative currents running through southern Maine, but for those who aren’t already immersed in the local art community, he said, there’s no better way to get the word out than an art walk.

“Anywhere that the arts can come together and unite, it makes it easier for the artists to showcase their work and easier for the community to access it,” Popp said.

For George Hughes and Ellen Joyce, two key players in bringing an art walk to Westbrook, it was clear that the city was ready to debut its own collection of artists when both of them came up with the idea of holding the monthly event separately.

Hughes, who paints and constructs three-dimensional structures, moved his studio from Forest Avenue in Portland to Westbrook’s Dana Warp Mill about a year and a half ago, because he liked the space and he liked the city.

“I had a pretty good idea that Westbrook was a place that was ready to burst out front,” said Hughes, who’s seen the same pattern of artists moving to the outskirts of cities like New York.

“It’s a trend that’s happening all over the place,” he said.

Joyce, chairwoman of the city’s year-old arts and culture commission, said the idea of holding an art walk was “hanging out there,” but no one had mustered up the motivation to start it. She heard Hughes had collected a group of interested artists – about 16 in total – and that was just enough to inspire the arts commission to start getting serious about it.

“It sort of percolated up at the same time,” Hughes said, which, to him, was an indication that there was a lot of artistic activity going on in Westbrook.

Cultivating the arts within a community also does more than support the creators and extend their networks. It’s a strategy for cities as a whole.

“Making the arts attractive is an economic venture as well as an artistic venture,” said Erik Carson, assistant city manager and economic development director in South Portland and former economic and community development director for Westbrook.

“They come, they see, they spend,” Carson said about the benefit of drawing people to communities with art.

“Artists are being recognized as a valuable economic tool,” he said.

Rachel Weyand, executive director of Heart of Biddeford, a committee dedicated to revitalizing the city’s downtown, said Biddeford has struggled to pull away from a stigma as an undesirable place to visit and one people don’t associate with the arts.

By consistently holding the art walk on the same day of every month, making a map available on the Web and identifying the participating galleries with red balloons, she said, a lot of people have changed their minds about what goes on in the city.

According to Joyce, Westbrook suffers from a similar reputation.

“For some reason there’s a reluctance. People can’t seem to like Westbrook,” she said.

But, like Biddeford, a lot is happening in Westbrook’s downtown, Joyce said, and the arts are a way to bring people into cities in order to show them all the positive changes and get them to shop at the shops, eat at the restaurants and explore.

“We want to make it less of a place to pass through and more of a place to stop,” she said.

Though harsh weather may have deterred art lovers from strolling the streets of South Portland to check out the galleries this winter, the artists are ready to revive the vision they had a year ago this spring.

According to Stephen Popp, owner of the Old Crow Gallery on Cottage Road, starting in June, the Second Saturday Art Stroll will be back in full force. Just weeks before, Westbrook will hold its first ever Fourth Friday Art Walk. And in Biddeford, the self-guided tour of the city’s art offerings, held the last Thursday of every month, is still going strong after a year.

Both artists and organizers say it’s no surprise these events are popping up all around Greater Portland. Between support from local governments and cheaper rent for studios that are just off the beaten path, Maine’s small cities are developing their own unique cultural scenes.

“There’s so much talent, it’s unbelievable,” Popp said about artists in Maine. “I really think the Portland area’s where it’s at for the arts.”

Though galleries hold openings all the time, art walks are more attractive to viewers because many galleries are open at a set time, offering food and music along with the art. According to Popp, the more casual setting makes people feel comfortable about bringing their families and walking in and out of galleries as they choose.

Initially, about six galleries and shops in South Portland and Cape Elizabeth signed up to participate in the art walk, but unpredictable weather led to unpredictable crowds, and though some galleries stayed open every second Saturday, there wasn’t as much consistency as Popp had hoped. By keeping the Second Saturday Art Stroll to the warmer months, he thinks both artists and walkers will be more committed to coming.

People like Popp may be well aware of the creative currents running through southern Maine, but for those who aren’t already immersed in the local art community, he said, there’s no better way to get the word out than an art walk.

“Anywhere that the arts can come together and unite, it makes it easier for the artists to showcase their work and easier for the community to access it,” Popp said.

For George Hughes and Ellen Joyce, two key players in bringing an art walk to Westbrook, it was clear that the city was ready to debut its own collection of artists when both of them came up with the idea of holding the monthly event separately.

Hughes, who paints and constructs three-dimensional structures, moved his studio from Forest Avenue in Portland to Westbrook’s Dana Warp Mill about a year and a half ago, because he liked the space and he liked the city.

“I had a pretty good idea that Westbrook was a place that was ready to burst out front,” said Hughes, who’s seen the same pattern of artists moving to the outskirts of cities like New York.

“It’s a trend that’s happening all over the place,” he said.

Joyce, chairwoman of the city’s year-old arts and culture commission, said the idea of holding an art walk was “hanging out there,” but no one had mustered up the motivation to start it. She heard Hughes had collected a group of interested artists – about 16 in total – and that was just enough to inspire the arts commission to start getting serious about it.

“It sort of percolated up at the same time,” Hughes said, which, to him, was an indication that there was a lot of artistic activity going on in Westbrook.

Cultivating the arts within a community also does more than support the creators and extend their networks. It’s a strategy for cities as a whole.

“Making the arts attractive is an economic venture as well as an artistic venture,” said Erik Carson, assistant city manager and economic development director in South Portland and former economic and community development director for Westbrook.

“They come, they see, they spend,” Carson said about the benefit of drawing people to communities with art.

“Artists are being recognized as a valuable economic tool,” he said.

Rachel Weyand, executive director of Heart of Biddeford, a committee dedicated to revitalizing the city’s downtown, said Biddeford has struggled to pull away from a stigma as an undesirable place to visit and one people don’t associate with the arts.

By consistently holding the art walk on the same day of every month, making a map available on the Web and identifying the participating galleries with red balloons, she said, a lot of people have changed their minds about what goes on in the city.

According to Joyce, Westbrook suffers from a similar reputation.

“For some reason there’s a reluctance. People can’t seem to like Westbrook,” she said.

But, like Biddeford, a lot is happening in Westbrook’s downtown, Joyce said, and the arts are a way to bring people into cities in order to show them all the positive changes and get them to shop at the shops, eat at the restaurants and explore.

“We want to make it less of a place to pass through and more of a place to stop,” she said.