Merced Art Hop finds a downtown home

Organizers of the Merced Art Hop will celebrate finding a new permanent home during this weekend’s event.

The quarterly Merced Art Hop is set for 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday in more than 20 downtown businesses. Kevin Hammon, co-creator of the event, said the Art Hop will unveil a permanent home on Canal Street, between Main and 18th streets.

Hammon said the former thrift shop will be in good enough shape to feature a gallery during the hop, but organizers are not done with it. “We’re still doing some work on the building,” he said.

An art club from California State University, Stanislaus, will be the focus of that gallery.

Hammon and his co-organizer, Kimberly Zamora, have been storing art in their cars, homes and businesses. Having the downtown space means they can be free of that headache, he said.

“We now feel like we have a home where we can put it,” he said.

Art Hop organizers raise funds year-round to pay for the event – free to all hop-goers – that draws thousands of people downtown. The event celebrates self-expression through art, dance, music and more, but it also introduces its visitors to shops they may not otherwise patronize.

In fact, organizers put together its first-ever pub crawl featuring a dozen restaurants and bars during the past weekend. Hammon said he received positive feedback from downtown visitors and business owners, so much so he’s planning another pub crawl around St. Patrick’s Day.

This weekend’s Art Hop will have a little taste of Halloween mixed into the celebration of art. Hammon said visitors who bring a costume from a Halloween past can trade with others looking for a new outfit for this year.

The interactive art projects in Bob Hart Square aimed at children will carry themes of Halloween. Live music can be found in Gottschalk Music Center, outside Coffee Bandits and in front of the Regal Cinemas Hollywood Merced 13 theater.

Along with the artwork of more than 40 artists, Hammon said, the hop will also unveil a mural painted by local artists inside the United Way of Merced County office building.

The featured artist this time around is Della Salas of Merced, who primarily creates handmade cards. Also, the artwork of Merced High School students will make its way downtown.

For more, go to mercedarthop.org.

This story was originally published October 12, 2015 at 3:55 PM with the headline "Merced Art Hop finds a downtown home."