Kalamazoo -
Art Hop - a program organized by the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo - usually occurs every month from 5pm to 9pm on the first Friday of each month. The latest Art Hop was held Friday night (April 7) and coincided with a Late-Night Food Truck Rally. 30+ venues were participating this time, in an evening of free art exhibits and events. Both events are an asset to the city - they draw people downtown and highlight some of the best that the city has to offer. Some photos that I took from both events are below. The next Art Hop will be on May 5, and the next Food Truck Rally will also be in May. If for any reason you find yourself in Southwest Michigan when these events occur, I highly recommend going - it's a great way to experience the city...
One of the hubs of the Art Hop is the Park Trades Center, on old, four-story industrial building converted to artist's studios and workshops. On Art Hop nights, you can wander freely through the massive structure, and artists have their doors open to visitors -
On the first floor, you'll find the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center, which offers classes in paper making, printing, book binding, etc. and has lots of cool old equipment. This particular night, it was hosting an 'edible book' contest. After the judging and awards, the 'books' were eaten -
Right next door in the same Park Trades structure is Glass Art Kalamazoo. Demonstrations in glass blowing and small glass working were being given. Many classes and volunteer opportunities are offered here year-round -
It's a two-person effort at times -
...or even a four-person effort -
The folks below were making "Journey Beads", small mementos given to people (mostly children) who are going through difficult medical procedures like cancer treatment. They get another bead for each step of the journey. Anyone can volunteer to make these (with a little training, first) -
Then there's a gallery up front, displaying some of the more impressive works that have been made in the studio -
Assortment of vases -
"Lavender Dreams", Sally Pritko, artist -
Motorcycle (I didn't catch the artist) -
"Spikey Terrarium", Shannon Eakins, artist -
Next we walked to the Arcus Gallery, where there was a juried art exhibit taking place. Located at the north end of the 'Kalamazoo Mall', the gallery is part of KVCC's downtown campus -
"Walking Man", Oil on Canvas, Linda Manguiat-Herzog, artist -
"Bonds of Nature's Law", Paper & Mixed Media, Ellie Hyde, artist -
"Sullivan", Mixed Media, Susan Hill, artist -
Looking north along the mall -
And looking south along the mall, you'll see Phase 2 of the Peregrine 100 project underway, which involves rehabbing a former bank building (First National Bank & Trust) into office space and apartments. The paper was off the windows, so everyone was peeking inside -
Next stop was 'The Spirit of Kalamazoo' store, which was hosting work by artist Ellen Nelson. The store is located in the ground floor of a relatively new downtown loft redevelopment "Corporation Hall" -
"The Sum of One's Parts", Part of a Series, Ellen Nelson, artist -
Near here is Norm Carver's Gallery. There's always great photography on display, so we stopped in. My two favorites were both titled "Boys on the Jantar Mantar Observatory, Delhi, India '64", Norman F. Carver Jr., artist -
We also walked past the former Kalamazoo Gazette Building, much of which has just been demolished for future development by Bronson (the original Albert Kahn-designed structure is being preserved). You can see part of the Bronson Hospital complex in the background. There's talk of constructing new medical lab space - I only hope that it can still be a mixed use development, with some commercial storefronts on the ground level to activate the street -
With the sun setting and the temperatures dropping, we headed over to the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange to grab a quick drink before going to the Food Truck Rally. The Food Truck Rally usually starts at 9:00pm and runs until midnight. It currently occurs five times each year, starting with the April one and ending with one in October. It usually hosts 10-12 food trucks, but as the event grows more popular, I hope they add more trucks. This event was held on Water Street, underneath a parking structure that goes over the road, for a more "underground" vibe -
