By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org
The Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo (ACGK) is excited to announce the return of in-person Art Hop in downtown Kalamazoo on Friday, April 2, from 6 to 8 p.m. This free outdoor event will feature local artists and downtown businesses showcased in booths along Bates Alley and the South Kalamazoo Mall.
After a year of virtual Art Hops, the Arts Council is looking forward to bringing the community together in a safe, socially-distanced outdoor space. Guests can grab drinks within the Downtown Social District to sip, stroll, and enjoy locally made art. DJ Todd Brown will be providing live music entertainment. The event will follow all COVID-19 guidelines in compliance with the state of Michigan.
The Arts Council’s Programs Director, Bianca Washington-Ciungan, announced, “I am so excited to safely return to an in-person Art Hop. I am grateful that we have been able to present a virtual option successfully, but there’s nothing like being able to support our artists and businesses in a face-to-face fashion.”
Participating businesses include Honor Credit Union, Fuze Kitchen and Bar, Green Top Tavern, Kalamazoo Candle Company, V & A Bootery, Cherri’s Chocol’art, Colors & Cocktails, and MRC ArtWorks. Local artists that will be showing their work in-person include Kevin Hamman, Alexa Karabin, Jonathan Wijnberg, and Amy Lou Gieschen as well as many more.
For those who are not able to attend in-person, the Arts Council’s website will have a virtual gallery featuring work by local artists, and a three-part artist spotlight interview series with Alexa Karabin, Linda Rzoska, and Pam Kirkham. Additionally, the Stulberg International String Competition will be livestreaming its virtual Bravo! concert at 7 p.m. The Arts Council is also celebrating the launch of its new Art Hop app, allowing the event to go paperless just in time for Earth Day. The app serves as a guide to all things Art Hop and can be downloaded as a shortcut icon through any smartphone web browser at www.kalamazooarthop.org. Art Hop would not be possible without the support of the ACGK’s generous program sponsors, LKF Marketing, Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs, Dorothy U Dalton Foundation, Marvin and Rosalie Okun Foundation, KalBlue, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Kalamazoo Valley Museum, D.L. Gallivan Office Solutions, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
