Fresno’s Arthop occurs every first Thursday of the month for the Downtown and Tower District areas. The night features various art studios, local boutiques and venues opening their doors for free to art enthusiasts from all over the city, and the best part is, it’s all free.
Although it was raining all evening, that didn’t’ stop attendees from walking from studio to studio, and even Bike-Hop (group of bicyclists who ride to each venue) was still in full force.
One of the newest art studios in Fresno, The Fresno Art House off of E Street and Calaveras, has a variety of upcoming and locally well-known artists. The Fresno Art House is a warehouse-style studio, with wide open spaces showcasing art, and an industrial backdrop. Giant Canvases hang from the worn concrete walls, showcasing works from artists such as Robert Amador, Erik Beltran, and photography by Gary Magill.
Like Fresno Art House, Broadway Studios across the street from Warnors Theater is an industrial building transformed into a place where artists create and display their work.
Broadway has several rooms, connected by a long corridor with sculptures, paintings and multimedia art filling the walls. Each room is rented out to an artist, in which they display their work.
One of the artists displayed at Broadway was Nigel Robertson, a veteran to the art scene in Fresno who has participated in almost all Arthop events for the past nine years, minus the two while he was at the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy. He has seen the Fresno art scene grow and flourish but wishes to see more.
“There are so many great artists in Fresno, and so many of them are struggling to survive on top of producing amazing artwork.” Robertson said. “I think the daily struggle holds their work back, however what Fresno Artists do with what they have is incredible. There needs to be a renaissance,” he added.
The February Arthop was a busy one, as Gallery 25 had a Valentine themed event titled “26 Years of Valentines” by Karen Lecocq and David Medley, in which the artist create the shape of hearts with everything imaginable. Paints, wood, cement, flowers and anything that could be in the form of a heart, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Also, 1821 Gallery & Studios featured an exhibit by Michael Garcia titled “Enos: Archetypes of Wholeness.”
And finally it wouldn’t be an Arthop without some live music to close out the night. As tradition, Tokyo Gardens had a showcase of Fresno’s indie/folk music scene with a steady lineup, and Fulton 55 had a Electronic/Hip Hop show featuring with a mural honoring the Hip Hop artist J-Dilla.
Even if you are not a fan of art, you can appreciate the support and sense of community gained from Arthop. And of course, the wide styles and selections of the art displayed at Arthop are a prime example of the sheer talent Fresno has to offer.
