A WALK TO REMEMBER

In the aptly titled ArtWalk, art fans are invited to take a cool twilight

stroll down quaint Sebastopol sidewalks and weave through eight art spaces in

which to ogle local artworks, chat with their creators, and sip zinfandel.

ArtWalk is the latest local art promotions program that offers a wealth of

work within a circumscribed area -- the free event features eight art spaces

in a three-block radius. And, like so many similar programs, ArtWalk feels

obliged to crunch together disparate words in its name.

The next ArtWalk is 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday. It's free.

''It enables art lovers to visit several different places after hours,''

offers Jeannette Baumgarden, co-owner of ArtWalk participant Millennium Arts.

''Most people work and this is a way after work to meet artists and have some

hors d'oeuvres, wine or mineral water to speed you on your way.''

Conceived by downtown Sebastopol gallery owners, ArtWalk's birth was

precipitated by the summer arrival of Quicksilver Mine Company to Sebastopol

from Guerneville, which prodigiously enriched the downtown arts epicenter.

''It's one more important art gallery to visit,'' Baumgarden says.

The inaugural ArtWalk on Oct. 5 was ''wonderful,'' she says. ''Over 100

people showed up. They just kept coming and coming.''

A good start, but how long can a word-of-mouth-driven enterprise like

ArtWalk last? ''Forever,'' she says, with a laugh fraught more with quixotic

longing than aplomb.

Here are the participating ArtWalk venues and current exhibits:

Millennium Arts shows ''Recent Sonoma County Landscapes,'' lush acrylic

paintings of Sonoma County al fresco. It's a joint show by internationally

exhibited Sebastopol painters Jack Stuppin and Jerrold Ballaine, whose art is

part of the Whitney Museum's permanent collection. On the Town Plaza.

829-5541.

Sebastopol Center for the Arts. ''Openings, the Spiritual in Art.'' 500

North Main St. 829-4797.

Quicksilver Mine Company. ''It's About Time,'' ceramic sculpture by Daniel

Oberti, and handmade paper relics by Linda Ortiz. 154 North Main St. 829-2416.

Putto & Gargoyle. ''Wear able Art,'' featuring new winter hats by Gerrie

Walker, handwovens by Tari Kerss, and Medieval miniatures by Kathy Prunuske.

7202 Bodega Ave. 829-8701.

Some Non-traditional exhibit spaces:

Palm Drive Hospital. ''Sonoma County Scenes'' by Lorna Skinner. Closes at

7:30 p.m.

West County Museum. ''Collections,'' a preview exhibit for museum grand

opening. 261 S. Main St. 829-6711.

Tribal Beginnings, a shop that offers and shows Native American art. 6914

Sebastopol Ave. 829-2174.

The Home Gourmet, also a store, has a smattering of art by Sonoma County

artists. 6906 Sebastopol Ave. 829-5246.