Hop opportunities to resume

Organizers for the Merced Art Hop said they are hoping to kick off a successful year with their first event of 2015 this month.

Art Hop events will set up throughout Merced’s downtown from 5 to 9 p.m. on Jan. 17, with organizers hoping exhibits will be appreciated and supported.

Dozens of businesses will host artists in or outside stores on Main Street, generally between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and N Street. Outdoor light and craft exhibits, as well as music, will also be in full effect.

For the new year, Art Hop’s website has a new look and now offers its quarterly magazine for viewing on the site. Event co-founder Kevin Hammon said the website could see more changes, and the magazine will continue to be offered in print at the events.

And 2015 will be the first full year that the quarterly art celebration will carry its nonprofit status. “We’re hoping to do more collaboration, and, of course, work harder on getting some grants,” he said. “We’ve actually just signed a contract with the city.”

Hammon said he hopes the new deal will lead to a cooperative relationship with the city, which will give Art Hop $3,000 this year. That’s about a fourth of what it costs to put on the quarterly event, he said.

Art Hop offers a number of ways for the revelers to get involved in the process. Kimberly Zamora, the event’s other founder, said she’s bringing back “Art and Go Seek,” a scavenger hunt. “People really enjoyed it, so due to popularity we’re bringing it back,” she said.

Scavenger hunters can enter a drawing for prizes if they complete the search. Zamora said it’s also a good way to check out the stores on Main Street.

Other participatory projects are planned along Main Street and in Bob Hart Square. Several mixed-media pieces, also called video installations, will be projected onto buildings in Bob Hart Square and at the corner of Main and M streets. DJ Lamont will also spin tracks as part of those displays, Zamora said.

Also near that intersection, the Mariposa Art Co. plans an exhibition called “Loyalty and Integrity.”

Zamora said local rock station 92.5 The Bear plans to set up in Gottschalk Music on Main Street, where local bands will play and their music will be sent out over the airwaves.

For more, go to www.mercedarthop.org or call Zamora at (209) 658-0661.

This story was originally published January 8, 2015 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Hop opportunities to resume."