July ArtHop picks: From poetry at Arte Américas to a new venue in Procreations Brewing Co., Fresno’s ArtHop remains hot
Some ArtHop venues go dark in July and August, but plenty remain open for Fresno’s monthly open house of galleries and studios in the downtown and Tower District neighborhoods. Hours for most venues are 5-8 p.m. Thursday, July 6. Check the Fresno Arts Council’s website for a list of venues, hours and updates.
Pictured above: Left, Carol Tikijian’s new show is at Fig Tree Gallery. Nicole Ellis’ show “Corrode” is at Spectrum Art Gallery.
Here are five quick picks:
ARTE Américas
The “Jose Montoya’s Resonant Valley Con Safos Poetry Series,” hosted by Joseph Rios, continues with Carribean Fragoza at Arte Américas. Fragoza writes on her website:
Rather than sticking to usual tropes of Chicanx and Latinx writing, I break onto new thematic territory with unique character voices and perspectives. As a graduate of the Creative Writing MFA program at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), I push the boundaries of Chicanx literature using experimental approaches and devices and freely borrow from international queer and feminist literary movements. I have published fiction and poetry in publications such as BOMB Magazine, Huizache, Entropy, Palabra Literary Magazine and Emohippus.
The cultural arts center’s blockbuster exhibition, “Jose Montoya’s Resonant Valley,” continues at Arte Américas through Nov. 26.
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CORRIDOR 2122
Two recent Fresno State graduates are featured: Julie Araujo and Katrina Elaine Sanchez Carlock. Their joint show at Corridor 2122 is an exploration of the human body; explicit content is included. You can read their artist statements here.
Araujo, who showcases the vast spectrum of breasts — no two are alike — the series is for “the women who might be struggling with their own body image, those who don’t feel accepted or “normal.”
Sanchez Carlock offer’s a female artist’s perspective with sculptures in ceramic form “that present an eccentric view of the male phallus along with a naturalized form of the female body.”
The show runs through Aug. 3.
FIG TREE GALLERY
Carol Tikijian’s work is always fascinating. Her new solo show at Fig Tree Gallery runs through July 30. Here’s a previous CMAC special video tour I did on one of her earlier shows:
SPECTRUM ART GALLERY
Featured artist at Spectrum is Nicole Ellis, who graduated from Fresno State in 2021 with an M.A. in Studio Arts emphasizing on photography and printmaking. Her show is titled “Corrode” and focuses on coping with struggles of detachment and dissociation. “These photographs speak a language in which I cannot do so effectively with my words, simulating moments of extreme emotional distress, vulnerability, and discomfort with brief glimpses of hope and light,” she writes in her artist’s statement. The exhibition runs through July 30.
PROCREATIONS BREWING CO.
It’s always fun to visit a brand-new official ArtHop venue. Procreations Brewing Co., located in downtown Fresno at 1929 Santa Clara St., will feature art, music, vendors, food and a beer release from 5-9 p.m.
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Rodney Hata
Carol T is one of my favorite artists. Her work has really evolved over the years!