5 picks for November ArtHop: Let loose at CMAC and get nude in November at Sorensen Studio & Gallery
This is one of those times for me to let my love for CMAC shine.
The Community Media Access Collaborative celebrates its 10th anniversary with CMAC Fest ‘22. The celebration is 5-9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, as part of ArtHop, the monthly open house of galleries and studios in the downtown and Tower District neighborhoods.
If you’ve never visited CMAC’s beautiful downtown space in the old Fresno Bee building, this event is a great chance to get a tour of the facilities. (I’m a proud member, and this is where I tape my monthly arts talk show, so you can see the studio where it all happens.)
There are lots of activities planned suitable for all ages, including games (Giant Jenga and Giant Pong, among them), a bevy of choice food trucks (including Garrafas Tacos and Ice Cream, Kabab Twist) and live music (Shop Dog and Angellvroom, shown above).
You’ll also get a chance to meet the friendly CMAC staff. They are full of fun and expertise, and I love how they seem to get such a charge out of helping members better tell the stories of the Valley – and all while using some great equipment.
One of those staff members is executive director Bryan Harley. I asked him why he was looking forward to CMAC Fest ‘22.
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“We’re thrilled to be celebrating 10 years of our Community Media Center in downtown Fresno and 10 years of amplifying community voices through media,” he told me. “Our home, the historic Fresno Bee building, is also turning 100 years old this year. We’re honored to carry on the legacy of community storytelling at this location.”
CMAC is located at 1555 Van Ness Ave.
Other ArtHop picks
Vernissage Art Studio: What an intriguing premise: What would downtown Fresno look like with snow? Ma Ly explores the idea in a series of paintings that imagines our city with a much colder climate. His images include the Fresno Water Tower, St. John’s Cathedral and the Crest Theatre all looking like a winter day in Boston rather than the center of California. The show, titled “Downtown Fre-Snow,” continues through Nov. 18.
Sorensen Studio & Gallery: The Nudes are almost old enough to legally drink! It’s hard to believe, but Sorensen’s famed annual “Nudes in November” show is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Believe me, after 20 years of the nude theme expressed in every which way using every which medium, you’ve seen it all. (Or, maybe you haven’t. That’s what the 20th installment is for.)
Fig Tree Gallery: The spotlight artist is longtime member Ann Leedy, whose show is titled “Catch and Release.” There’s a nice sense of movement and organic connection in her work. She writes: “I think of my art as a way to practice a heightened awareness of the sky, the earth, water, the movement of wind, and the gesture of light and shadow.”
Spectrum Art Gallery: Looking for an exhibition with a cosmopolitan flair? Juergen Vespermann, a longtime member at Spectrum, offers “Here and There. He explains: The “Here” is represented by backyard photographs of succulents/cacti, Fresno in the fog photographs, murals from Downtown LA and Downtown Fresno (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) mural by Bobby Von Martin), and architectural photographs from Fresno and Fresno and Tulare counties. The “There” part shows architectural images from his two recent trips to Germany, the Netherlands (Rotterdam), Belgium (Liege) and Paris, and a couple older prints from London and Australia.
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Jeri A Stubblefield
You didn’t mention South of Shaw Beer Company at 1755 Broadway where my friend Nancy Tan will be displaying her work.
Ann Leedy
Thank you so much Donald for including me in your 5 ArtHop picks.
Gotta say, it just made me feel so happy!
Ann Leedy