Spring art hop showcases art and business

Morgan Barnes’ eyes brightened as she explained a canvassed art piece she made out of earthen materials to two visitors to the Merced Art Hop downtown Saturday.

The art was a combination of Barnes’ love of art and soil, which she studies as a graduate student at UC Merced.

“I’ve done art since high school, but I haven’t shown it since I started going to the art hops,” Barnes said, adding that the art hops have given her an outlet to show her art to the public.

Dozens of artists like Barnes were on the sidewalks and in the stores of Main Street Saturday evening as the event brought art to the people, and people to businesses.

The art hop spanned Main Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and N Street. It culminated a day of festivities that started out with the Merced Main Street Association’s Spring Festival and a farmer’s market at Bob Hart Square.

There were 26 stations set up at dozens of sites during the art hop, including businesses such as Coffee Bandits, popular establishments like The Cue Spot Billiards and organizations such as the Merced County Arts Council Inc.

In addition to art displays, children got to create their own art at booths along Main Street, including interactive art stands on Bob Hart Square.

Merced resident Kevin Ahnen was helping his 9-year-old daughter, Delina Ahnen, as she crafted her own clay bunny.

“It’s good to just spend time together,” Ahnen said.

Bands and other performers entertained at Bob Hart Square, Gottschalk Music Center and Main Place Stadium Cinema.

The theme for Saturday’s art hop was “Animal Awareness.”

“We wanted to combine animals and art because (animals and pets) are things most people can relate to,” Merced Art Hop co-founder Kimberly Zamora said.

Along with an adoption agency and animal-based art vendors, animal advocacy organizations such as New Beginnings hosted informational booths.

“One goal is to get people into businesses,” said Zamora, who helped start it nine years ago to help her old business and other downtown shops.

As an artist set up her paintings on tables and greeted guests dressed as the Batman villain Poison Ivy inside Red Sky Comics on Main Street, shop owner Mike Smid was ringing up customers.

Smid said his shop has participated in almost all the art hops since he opened shop seven years ago.

“It helps us quite a bit on Saturdays,” Smid said, adding that his comics store gets more exposure as people stop by to check out the art.

This story was originally published April 15, 2017 at 9:06 PM with the headline "Spring art hop showcases art and business."