Merced Art Hop takes on social change

Social causes got the spotlight Saturday during the summer version of Merced Art Hop, a quarterly event that highlights the arts in the downtown.

A few thousand people typically attend the event that celebrates expression through music, painting, performance and other arts. Co-founder Kevin Hammon said he wanted Art Hop to be able to use its success to help other groups get the word out on their respective causes.

“We kind of wanted to use Art Hop and use artists to bring (awareness) about the bigger pictures that are happening in Merced County,” he said. “We want to show that through art we can send a message.”

Valley Animal Hospital took the opportunity to talk about animal abuse and high heat dangers for pets. The UC Merced Health Sciences Research Institute asked people in the community about what health issues most concern them.

A contingent from the city’s Independent Districting Committee asked passers-by about the the district maps that will carve Merced into six local districts before the November 2016 election. Bags in Bob Hart Square collected clothes and other items for the homeless.

Several bands played live music ranging from sweet and somber acoustic ballads to boastful and macho rap songs.

A new feature this time around was “Kissing, Crying and Freaking Out in Public,” which is based on a public art display of the same name in Hong Kong. The display asks participants to answer challenging personal questions on a board visible to any passer-by.

Lauren Weaver, 18, of Merced smiled while she answered the question, “Where was the last place you kissed in public?” She said the event was her first Art Hop.

She was introduced to the event by Breanna Simpson, 19, of Merced. Simpson said she looks forward to the crowds the art celebration brings out.

“I like being able to socialize,” she said. “That’s what I come out here for.”

The event also draws art fans into downtown businesses where they might check out a store they’ve never seen before.

This is Art Hop’s seventh year, and Hammon said it continues to grow. The city recently set aside $10,800 for Art Hop next year, he said.

That kind of funding is important, he said, because he and the other co-founder, Kimberly Zamora, organize the events while working full-time jobs. “So, we’re pretty excited about that, because now we have a budget to help us out,” he said.

For more information about Art Hop, go to mercedarthop.org.

This story was originally published July 18, 2015 at 9:12 PM with the headline "Merced Art Hop takes on social change."