5 picks for Fresno’s June ArtHop
If it’s the first Thursday of the month, it must be ArtHop. My own arts home might have changed recently, but at least one thing is still the same: my picks for this popular monthly open house of galleries and studios in the downtown and Tower District areas. Here are five venues that sound promising:
![JSA_Arthop_Summer[2]](https://i0.wp.com/munroreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/JSA_Arthop_Summer2.jpg?resize=1000%2C524&ssl=1)
Jeffrey Scott Agency
I love typography. It can be one of those little-noticed parts of our lives that actually have a big impact on the way we relate to the world. Can a typeface help suggest the feel or sensation of a season? That’s what we’ll find out in “The Types and Textures of Summer” at the Jeffrey Scott Agency, 1544 Fulton St.
The show includes a full alphabet of seasonally inspired custom typography by Duran Hernandez, a graphic designer at the agency. Another featured alphabet is made up of items or textures associated with the summer months. From the organizers:
We are bringing a backyard pool party inside by BBQ-ing and serving traditional summer party food items. Lace Marie Eyewear, along with Awakened Rose Jewelry will be here showcasing their summer lines and DJ Green Giant/DJ Canopener will be playing popular summer hits.
Standard ArtHop hours are 5-8 p.m., but the venue (along with several others) is opting for a 6-9 p.m. run.
Spectrum Art Gallery
Franka M. Gabler’s favorite time to photograph is sunrise. That’s where she is most likely to find exciting light and atmospheric conditions, she says, a balance of stillness and movement, and interesting patterns and color. Rather than expansive scenic views, she’s more interested in photographs that create a more personal, sentimental impact.
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In previous shows, I’ve been impressed with Gabler’s stunning scenic images and the way she finds fertile artistic territory in what you might assume to be standard subject matter: trees, leaves, lakes, mountains.
Ethereal: Franka M. Gabler’s ‘Autumn Mist, El Capital Meadow, Yosemite,’ is part of her new exhibition at Spectrum Art Gallery.
In her new exhibition at Spectrum Art Gallery, 608 E. Olive Ave., titled “In Sync,” Gabler continues what drew me to much of her previous work: a moody-ethereal sensibility that can border on the ghostly, as early morning mists dance in the early-morning light.
She brings a fascinating background to her work: Born and raised in Croatia, she moved to California in 1997. From her home base of Coarsegold she is a frequent visitor to Yosemite and other scenic wonders that many of us take for granted. Gabler is also a scientist; she has a doctorate in plant pathology.
Her practiced eye and capacity for finding distinctive ways to view nature’s bounty makes her work a must-see. The show runs through July 2.
Memories: A view of the exhibition ‘Capturing, Keeping, and Remembering’ at Fresno Music Academy and Arts. Photo / Provided by Stephanie Bradshaw
Fresno Music Academy and Arts
Stephanie Bradshaw, the exhibition curator for Fresno Music Academy and Arts (the former Voice Shop), at 1296 N. Wishon Ave., put together “Capturing, Keeping, and Remembering,” a show featuring works by eight artists. It opened in May and continues through June.
Bradshaw writes in her curator’s statement:
After looking at the work assembled here in this group exhibition, and talking to the artists who contributed to it, an image of the creation process developed in my mind. Aspects of our shared world including systems, symbols, personal and family memories, the landscape, artwork, fears and anxieties, a sunny morning, and societal expectations, travel on a conveyer belt feeding into the mind of the artist. Emerging from the other side are artworks which help us to see, understand, and savor life’s experiences and the world around us.
The show includes works by Julia Woli Scott, Dixie Salazar, Ramiro Martinez, Carol Tikijian, Dawn Hart, Isabel Barraza, H.M.W. Barrantine and Emily Schellenberg.
K-Jewel Art Gallery
Marc Blake, curator of the K-Jewel Art Gallery, is not soft-spoken on social media when it comes to promoting his monthly exhibitions. He wrote this week on Facebook: “There aren’t any STOPS but if there were, we’d of pulled them all out for this Thursday’s ArtHop.” His new show features a whopping dozen-plus artists plus a Simon and Garfunkel tribute band.
The artist lineup includes Karolynn Mata, Marilyn Torchin, Jeri McDonald, Sally Moss, Maxine Fargason, Laura Silberman, Sharon Scott, Joyce Tuck and Sandy Kowallis.
But wait … there’s more. What that more is, I don’t know. “Sure, we have art 12+ artists, BUT we have something else. Shhhh…” Blake wrote in a separate Facebook post. Guess you’ll have to drop by to find out the whole story.
The gallery is at 1415 Fulton St.
Fres.Co
If you haven’t yet dropped by Fres.Co, at 1918 Fresno St., next to the Crest Theatre (and home to the Dulce Upfront community multimedia arts collective), you’re missing one of ArtHop’s most vibrant newer spots. The featured June artist is Boon Ma Yang, an Atwater artist, who offers a show titled “Falling Soul.”
According to his bio:
Yang’s work is inspired and influenced by the Hmong culture, history and political issues involving Hmong people during the Vietnam war. His work touches on various genres of fine arts including abstract, realism, traditional, pop-art, expressionism and surrealism. His art captures the sadness, sorrow and fear of his people but also tries to illustrate his passion for his culture with hope that the work can educate people about their struggle.
His works have been featured in the Hmong California Directory magazine “Txhawb” and Hmong Story 40, a nonprofit organization featuring Hmong histories, documentaries, artifacts and arts during the Vietnam War in Laos.
The ArtHop show is another of those “later” spots, open 6-9 p.m.
Hmong reflections: Boon Ma Yang’s ‘Niam Nkauj Txhav Qaib Ntxiv Nraug Txhav Noog’ is featured at Fres.Co.
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Sue Logothetti Thorson
I’m so glad to find you, Donald Munro, after sadly discovering that you no longer can be found in the print version of the Fresno Bee. Long live the arts.
Cindy Wathen-Kennedy
Awesome reviews! Thank you for continuing the ArtHop coverage!
Jacqueline Doumanian
Donald – Happily for us your hand continues to monitor the pulse of Fresno’s and environs’ hotbed of art and cultural goings-on. Your reviews are priceless in terms of scheduling what, where, who, how to see as much as possible. I’m sharing your blog with everyone I know and encourage others to do the same. Thank you!