Eleven venues and countless works of art make up the map for Art Walk on Friday night.

Slated for 6 p.m. until 9 p.m., the event showcases local art and artists and is invitation to everyone to experience downtown Washington’s thriving arts scene.

“It brings the social aspect back into the whole act of viewing art,” said Contemporary Art Exchange owner Tina Jandrow. “Often times, folks who visit galleries — they whisper and they’re serious, or they go through quickly looking for a gift. This gives them a chance to be around art, to talk about art.”

Jandrow said that she, like most of the venues, will be serving light refreshments Friday night, while some merchants will extend their hours to accommodate potential shoppers. Organized by Arts of the Pamlico, participating venues are Lemonade Art Gallery, Contemporary Art Exchange, Art Tyndall Studio, Kay Woolard’s Art on Market, River Walk Gallery and Arts Center, Lone Leaf Gallery and Custom Framing, Arts of the Pamlico, Sam’s Rustic Shop, Little Shoppes, South Market Antiques and Secret Garden Gallery.

Contemporary Art Exchange currently has more than 20 artists’ work represented, including the mixed media of Wilmington artist Jillian Nicole Boivin. Fabric, vintage buttons and beads and even sequins are incorporated to flesh out designs that reflect the natural and coastal environment Boivin calls home.

“I found her down at a show in Topsail and fell in love with the lightness of her work. She was our most popular artist during the Cycle (NC) weekend,” Jandrow said.

Boivin’s work is unique in that she uses acrylic paints to mimic stitch work in her paintings, giving many an overall quilt-like feel. By using 8-inch by 8-inch and 12-inch by 12-inch square canvasses, the works can be pieced together, much like a quilt.

“One of the cool things about her, and what really drew me to her, is that you can add on to them,” Jandrow said. “I like that flexibility.”

Jandrow said events such as Art Walk allow more exposure for artists like Boivin in a place that’s rapidly becoming known as an artists’ haven.

“There’s always been creative people here, but for me, it all seems to be coming together and forming a more concrete (community),” Jandrow said.

Art Walk is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Arts of the Pamlico at www.artsofthepamlico.org or 252-946-2504.