The monthly gallery stroll, held May through December, brings together the downtown Waynesville arts community, as local galleries stay open late to offer special artist demonstrations, reveal new works or play host to live music. The stroll features the 15 galleries that are members of the gallery association, spread from Main Street down to historic Frog Level.

“Art After Dark has really taken hold and there are a lot of people who plan on coming downtown for that first Friday of the month,” said Kaaren Stoner, a potter who, along with her husband Erickson co-owns Twigs and Leaves Gallery on Main Street.

The season has been one of change for three gallery association members — Textures, which features fine fabric and furniture pieces, the Jeweler’s Workbench, offering handmade jewelry, and the Little Gallery, run by the Haywood County Arts Council.

Textures expanded its gallery space in April by moving co-owner Suzanne Gernandt’s weaving loom into the upstairs of the building.

“It allowed us for another 1,200 to 1,600 square feet to show local and regional artists,” said co-owner John Gernandt.

The Jeweler’s Workbench moved out of Towne Square into its own retail space, giving the gallery greater visibility and thereby more customers, said owner Jeannie Tracy. In addition, Tracy was able to set up her own jewelry-making studio.

“Which is going to be nice this winter if I have time to work on it,” Tracy said.

And the Little Gallery outgrew its name, moving from its Church Street location to a new space on Main Street next to the Jeweler’s Workbench. With its large, sidewalk facing windows, hardwood flooring, and adaptability to various art forms, the Little Gallery made a big splash this year with its opening show this summer featuring 60 photographs taken by North Carolina’s Vietnam War veterans.

For each of the galleries in the Waynesville Gallery Association, Art After Dark has provided an opportunity to connect with the public, helping to personalize the experience both of enjoying and, hopefully, buying art.

“The public gets to meet some of our artists and its good for the artist because the artist gets to meet some of their repeat customers,” Tracy said.

In other cases, the gallery stroll has opened up new markets and opportunities for galleries to dabble in other mediums.

“We’ve been able to focus on the two-dimensional art more so than if we didn’t have Art After Dark,” said Gernandt, whose work as a furniture maker encompasses art’s more tactile — rather than visual — side.

Main Street gallery Earthworks also steps into new two-dimensional territory this Friday with a new show titled “Who’s On First,” a comic-book interpretation of Maggie Valley Pizzeria’s adult Independent Softball Association team.

The comic book was written and illustrated by Earthworks employee Sandy Hickey, who was invited to her first ISA game by a friend and soon found herself hooked.

“I’m 53 and I’m watching these fat little guys with tattoos who look like they crawled out from underneath a Harley Davidson convention couch,” Hickey said.

The gears in her head started turning and what had been a hobby — cartooning — grew into a full-fledged (though limited run) production called “The Boys of Summer.” The show will be on display throughout the month.

For more information about the Waynesville Gallery Association and Art After Dark events visit www.waynesvillegalleryassociation.com.