It was an idea Maitland pinched from The Netherlands ... but it seems to have hit a spot with locals.
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The second annual Artastique Festival will kick off on Saturday in The Levee and runs until March 8.
It's a promotion of all things art in Maitland, with the highlight being the display of artworks in Levee shopfronts.
Frank Winnips, of Studio Amsterdam gallery, is one of the organisers and happily acknowledges he and wife Patricia Van Lubeck borrowed the idea from their native Holland.
"Our home town ran a similar thing and it was hugely successful, so we decided why not try it in Maitland," Mr Winnips said.
"Basically we want to try to get the artwork out of the galleries and into the general public.
"Last year we had 45 artists involved, and this year we have 60 artists and 60 shops, so it's growing like crazy," he said.
This year's event will also coincide with the city's inaugural Indie Festival, which is being described as a celebration of independent writing and publishing - giving the city a decidedly artistic feel.
Last year we had 45 artists involved, and this year we have 60 artists and 60 shops, so it's growing like crazy
- Frank Winnips
Such is the popularity of the Artastique Festival that it has required quite a bit of vetting of applicants to determine whose works will be shown.
"We had about 120 people apply to be a part of it, so we had to cut the number in half," he explained. "It was quite a process and we had a lot of good artists miss out.
"This year we even had interstate entries which gives you an example of how quickly this is growing.
"It is giving artists, most of them local, good exposure and it is also helping to promote The Levee and central Maitland.
"We try to match the type of artwork that will suit a store. In some cases the store owners will tell us what they're looking for, but mostly they leave it to us."
Mr Winnips said the social media network of local artists meant that when applications were open for Artastique, word spread quickly.
"We've only been in Maitland a few years with Studio Amsterdam, but there's no doubt the artistic culture has grown in that time," he said.
"We're getting artists from Sydney and the Central Coast moving here. Real estate is still cheaper, it's a good sized place, it has a good vibe."