Fresno Famous

For 24 ArtHops, Fresno Famous has been keeping you in the loop about the galleries, exhibits, and artists making Fresno a more beautiful place. Our first ArtHop guide, Raiders of the Lost Art, took a look at the Pearl Building, Kern Street Coffee, Full Circle Brewing, the Army Induction Building, and Bill Bruce Studios. That was back before Full Circle Brewing had real doors and there was only one gallery on Mono Street.

Looking back, it's comforting to know you can still go to almost all of those galleries during ArtHop tonight (the Army Induction Building, aka H Street, is being converted to lofts). But what is better is seeing how things have grown. There are over 50 ArtHop stops listed on our ArtHop map this month, and the vast majority are downtown. While our attempts to christen our neighborhood with a hip name have failed (SOTO and The Fu never really caught on), we hope we have been successful in cluing more people in to the wonder that is ArtHop.

And so tonight, where will you be heading? Forecasts suggest the unseasonable torrential downpour will take a break just long enough for some gallery hopping.

There's an exciting new stop debuting this month: Palomino Studios. Famed Chicano artist Ernesto Palomino will open his studio in Southeast Fresno during ArtHop for the first time. Palomino has most recently exhibited at Arte Americas in Fresno, but was the first Valley native to exhibit his work at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco in the mid-1950's. He's also responsible for some of Fresno's first murals.

From Palomino Studios head downtown to the bustling hub of Mono and Van Ness. Corridor 2122, whose ICCA posse were some of the original tenants in H Street, is hosting a group show. 'From the Vault" features work by Stephen Dent, Melissa Delaney, Steve Dzerigian, Aimee Frost, Quinn Gomez-Heitzeberg, Edward Lund, and William Raines. At Gallery 25, Robert A Weibel will exhibit his figurative prints, etchings, and other work on paper.

If you're looking for photography, or something a bit more exotic, head to City Hall. Yes we know City Hall is always exotic and glamourous, but this ArtHop especially so. Helen Gigliotti presents "Let's Visit Burma/Myanmar," a collection of photographs of "one of the last unspoiled, exotic areas of the world. Its incredible pagodas, temples and monasteries are elegant reminders of earlier ages, and its vibrant peoples and cultures are still deeply rooted in centuries-old traditions." Photographs demonstrate how travel restrictions (and other political oppressions) have left the ancient culture largely in tact.

High school students have been getting a lot of attention lately. Truants, rabble rousers or civil rights activists, you have to admire their energy. Two shows at two different cafes will showcase their energy of an artistic sort. "Hit me with your best shot!" is a photography exhibit at Caffe Fulton featuring Sunnyside High School Photo students. The mostly black and white prints with a few experimental color images will not disappoint, according to instructor Tamela Ryatt. The exhibit will be accompanied by DJ Frank Cruz. At Javawava, across the street from Fresno High School, students will exhibit their work in the "Art is Life" show.

From Javawava, take a stroll to the Tower District where you'll find Gary Vann's "Photographic Patterns" at Spectrum Gallery. From the artist's statement: "With a background in landscape and underwater photography, Gary Vann employs a 4x5-format camera in his work, allowing him to make large scale vertical prints. Marked by the artist's evolution from scenic images to a more subject-oriented approach, the images display repetitive patterns and textures with strongly contrasting detail in natural light. This interest in pattern and form is the unifying theme of this exhibition."

As the 8 o'clock hour nears head over to Broadway Studios, where even the studio walls are works in their own right. This month the David Aus Trio will provide the music, and Kern Street Coffee will offer refreshments. Photographer John Torres and writer Shannon Hunter will pair their talents in an effort to show "We're all loving and living and losing." Work by Josh Wigger, Vicente Aello, Mehran, Brianna Johnson, Merili Loucks, and others will also be on display.

Round out the evening at Club Jinnaka, which hosts the photography of co-founder Michael Phillips. When your hopping has come to a halt, recharge next door at Tokyo Garden with hot sake or a cold Kirin. Make a toast to ArtHop, and think of what the next two years might bring.