August 6, 2015
Written July 27+
Written July 27+
Dear Diary, Friends, and Families,
The upcoming BIG DEAL is Marianne's first (American) showing of her art work!
On the first Thursday and the second Saturday of every month, The Fresno Art Council sponsors "ArtHop" in several downtown galleries and ateliers. Some of the galleries have un-rented spaces that they loan out for temporary artist displays and, on August 6 and 8, Marianne will be showing at M Street Gallery.
For
a total of eight hours of display time, she (and her assistant) spent
weeks getting ready. First, she wanted some new pieces, in
addition to pieces we stripped from our own walls. Then, as a first
US effort, she needed business cards, a display sign, and all those
little name tags wall-hung art gets. The final part of
preparation was to map out exactly what pictures would be shown and
where in the 12 foot by 15 foot room they would hang. We went so
far as to mock-up the space in our garage, a step that saved
considerable time in the actual hanging process.Ten days before the show, we packed up everything and met with Rachel, the gallery owner representative, to move it all in. We managed to hang it all, almost, in about four-hours. I was very glad we had made the decisions earlier, in the garage mock-up! I took pictures of everything (found on the new "public" website) and Rachel added in a few action shots for her Granville Urban Development's Facebook page. (Note the July 24 and 31 entries highlighting the new artist in town!)
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Finally, the big day came: The August 6 Fresno ArtHop. We had 20+ pieces hung and ready for showing. We had told all our friends to come! Many did, along with the normal public crowd, and Marianne got plenty of positive reinforcement for her work, as well as one sale!
Preparation.   Neighboring artists also preparing, in their own ways. Rachel, the landlord representative, setting out treats. Some people come for the art, others for the wine and goodies.     Crowds. Family, friends, and even strangers!     |
The ArtHop organizers also schedule open galleries for "Second Saturday" and, in August, that meant a repeat just two days after First Thursday. We recycled all our unused snacks and wine and prepared for another parade of art lovers.
It
was a very small parade, maybe ten people in four hours, most of them
family friends. Katinka brought Mamo again, and friends Flo and
Steven came by for Hungarian-American chit chat, joined by Kathy
(Ildiko) and Alexis. The best-family-friend award went to Val,
who bought one of Marianne's mixed media creations.Second Saturday was so slow that I left M Street, looking for other galleries that might have more activity. Most did not even bother to open on Saturday, and that's too bad, because Fresno definitely needs more art exposure. Maybe in time.
So, that was our first First Thursday and Second Saturday ArtHop. A couple small sales and important new experience. Hopefully, just the start of a broader introduction into the Fresno art scene.
John and The Artist
Post-Script
The one gallery that I did find open was the Chris Sorensen's collection of workshops and small sales cubicles. Chris is reportedly a 90+-year-old landmark in the Fresno art world. His large, metal sculptures are all unique. His 30,000 square-foot workshop/co-operative was a great place to spend some time, even though Second Saturday was as quiet there as it was back at M-Street.
 The outdoor welding studio and a front-gate greeter.   Animal life, made from old paint thinner cans!   There were works from various artist that had been prepared for Chris Sorensen's 90th birthday, but best was Chris himself wheeling up on his tricycle and chatting about how quiet Second Saturdays are in the middle of summer. Somehow I felt honored.    |