An art colony in Westwego? Artist thinks the time is ripe

It’s going to be a big night in the small town of Westwego. Sala Avenue will be closed on Saturday night for a street party, with three art exhibit openings, complimentary cocktails, live music, a red-carpet reception for all, and maybe even fire dancers.

You’ve probably heard of the organizer, artist Josh Wingerter. He’s the graffiti-style artist that bombed Frenchmen Street with stencil paintings at the start of the coronavirus lockdown. Wingerter produced a socially distanced, outdoor art gallery that provoked smiles at a time when smiles were rare.

Among his paintings were a few images that were instant pandemic icons. He painted a portrait of Louis Armstrong with a COVID-19 mask stretched over the bell of his horn. He depicted Wonder Woman as a vaccine-armed nurse. And he created tongue-in-cheek, toilet paper roll still lifes.

By the end of the coronavirus era, Wingerter was a star.

Help along the way

Wingerter calls the Saturday night block party “PATHSCROSSED.” It’s meant as a tribute to all the artists who’ve contributed to his successful career.

Keith Eccles, the Higgins High art teacher who encouraged Wingerter to pay more attention to art and less to girls and sports, will be on hand.

So will the artist known as Sloth. Wingerter said that in 2014 he and his pal Sloth “hyped each other up” and decided to quit their straight jobs and strike out as full-time artists. It was a life-changing moment.

Plus there will be other artists — Dago, Paco Lane, Monique Lorden and Aubrey McGuire — who generally bolstered Wingerter’s desire to make a living doing what he loves.

Figuring out how to make a living as an artist is the underlying theme of the “PATHSCROSSED” party.

Go west, young artists 

Wingerter, who grew up in Westwego, has planted the seeds of an art colony in the quiet West Bank town. In Westwego, Wingerter said, people always said you could make a living working in a factory or on a boat. Nobody ever said you could become a professional artist.

But Wingerter believes that has changed.

Wingerter, 37, earned a degree in business at UNO and worked in Home Depot management for a decade before he developed his Warhol/Banksy style and began regularly selling paintings in New Orleans and elsewhere. He knows something about commerce.

With the cost of living, especially real estate values, far lower in Westwego than in New Orleans -- especially arty enclaves like the Bywater -- he thinks professional artists should consider setting up shop on Sala Avenue. Back in 2020, Wingerter cut a deal with the Westwego government to rent an unused, two-story bank building on the old main drag that he’s converted into a splendid gallery and studio.

Since then, he’s bought four other nearby properties. One is a teardown house at 362 Sala Ave., that Wingerter plans to replace with two small art galleries. In the meantime, he and fellow artists have used the dilapidated place as a sort of temporary clubhouse.

Practically every square foot inside is splattered with paint, as if Jackson Pollock were an interior decorator. A visit to the house will be among the activities at Saturday’s block party.

Small-town atmosphere

Likewise, visitors can drop into artist Aubrey McGuire’s gallery across the street from Wingerter’s gallery at 374 Sala Ave. McGuire, 28, who hails from the small town of Spotsylvania, Virginia, has bought into Wingerter’s vision of a Westwego art colony.

He said there may not be much walk-in traffic at his gallery yet. But, he joked, finding a parking spot is easy. “Just don’t park in front of the fire hydrant,” he said.

McGuire said he sells his pop art-ish aerosol paintings at the Frenchmen Art Bazaar four nights each week. Plus, he has his share of online customers, so it doesn’t matter much where his home base is located.

He likes the intimate vibe of Sala Avenue and would like to see it grow into an art destination like Royal Street, without the crowds and complications of visiting the French Quarter.

Quirky flavor

Westwego council member Lisa Valence said that Wingerter is right in his assessment that “cute, little, old homes” are less expensive in the riverside town. And, she said, “it’s a safe community to live in.”

Valence said that Wingerter has lent a spark to the old downtown area and she believes the citizens of Westwego would welcome more artists. “We’d like that quirky flavor to be part of Westwego,” she said.

Saturday’s party takes place from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at 401 Sala Ave. and nearby locations. It is a 21-and-over event, with “after-5 attire,” or costumes encouraged.