Fresno Famous

UPDATE: For those who missed the opening  reception, or haven't made it down to the see Shannon Hunter's "Home is in Your Head" (it's up through Februrary), there is a wonderful review from Daniel T. Schultz at the H&S Gallery website.  

From the review: "Hunter has completed something decisively rare: a work that is solely hers, and she has graciously given of herself by allowing us the opportunity to view the segments of which she has so carefully crafted. We may not have the right to exist in this home she has displayed for us, thirty-three times over, but the opportunity to stand parallel to it, and peer into all it contains, should be considered an honor unto itself."

Original post:

I don't make it out to ArtHop much. I have another Thursday night engagement that keeps me busy. But I was out last night at Iron Bird Cafe to help my friend Shannon with her solo show. Here are some thoughts:

* Congratulations to the whole Home is in Your Head crew (Hunter, Jared Jurcak and Steve Ruppel with H&S Gallery). They put on an amazing show both in terms of the actual work and the aesthetics of the night (which included Brian Eno's Music for Airports and a small installation piece). I am totally biased, but people seemed to connect with the work. There are 30-plus photos and narratives and it was a surprise to see how many people carefully inspected every one from start to finish (it is a bit of work).

* Iron Bird is shaping up as a destination spot. As Mike Oz pointed out, there are several new shops at Iron-Bird proper (including Rustica Kollection). Last night it felt like they were all feeding in to each other. There was a crowd of people standing outside Faithful and True Tattoo Studio all night, I noticed several people carrying merchandise from Rustica and the cafe was packed until 9:45 p.m. Rumor is that it was the cafe's second-best night ever. Obviously, this was an atypical night, but I see a ball and it's starting to roll.