When Good People Don't Know About Art Hop
Submitted by thereminman on Mon, 10/30/2006 - 14:14.
My wife and I had dinner last Friday night with some friends.
These two other couples all have kids about the same age
as ours, and we usually have a great time catching up,
talking about this and that. We all get together about four times a year. Both of these couples live on the "North Side", are fairly well-off economically, and are community/politically-minded, etc. Both of the male halves have an interest in music, but probably haven't
been to a club gig in 15 years. One of them plays the guitar and has taken a recent fervent interest in piano and attends recitals at Fresno State. The other loves the rock n' roll of his youth, and used to play bass in bands when he was younger.
I began talking with these guys about the typical issues of the Tower District and Re-Vitalizing Downtown. And I was taken back by these two
facts:
**NEITHER of them had HEARD of Art-Hop.
(Notice, not just that they hadn't
gotten around to attending due to the business of
wage-earning and child-rearing, but they had no idea--never even heard of it.)
** One of them at least had a sincere belief that The Tower
wasn't the 'Tower District that [he] remembered".
See, cuz I thought, what with the demand to live in the area,
that it was more 'gentrified' and sparkly-clean than it was, say 20 years ago.
He thought it had been over-run with drugs and non-specified
scary activity---and this is coming from a guy, though very
white-picket-fence-middle-class now, would freely admit to putting
himself in the 'stoner' category when he was a kid. Once again, though
certain substances may be seen in certain locales, I don't notice that it's
much different in that respect than it was twenty years ago.---I think I'd put
that comment in the same category as when someone says:'Ah, the music kids listen to these days…'
These are all great folks. They are informed about a lot of issues,
but **obviously** not about the Tower District and Downtown.
I asked them their thoughts on WHY they didn't know about something
that I believe is quite a well-attended and popular activity (Arthop), and one
answered "marketing". What do you all think? It does seem that the Art/Music
community has a hard time reaching out towards the folks outside of it's own
walls. Is there a way that we can get "regular" people to know about activities
beyond the Celebrity Bands that play at the SaveMart Center?
Art Hop
The official Art Hop is sponsored by the Fresno Arts council. They do keep there page current but sometimes I've noticed that some Art Hop locations did not have updated information, but then some gallery's don't change month to month as some of the other more popular galleries do.
There really is not just one paper one station or one website or one email list or one web group that lists everything going on before it happens. You have to subscribe and lurk on many groups, lists and sites, and visit them monthly, weekly, or daily.
Fresno Famous is a good site for listings, myspace events is good, and mindhub email list, sometimes the bee helps but it always writes about events after they happen. But each local hobby niche groups has it's own calendars or events, look for them.
Promotion needed
YES to the call for promotion. As a new resident of Fresno I have had a very difficult time finding out information about events. Most organizations do not keep their websites current. For example, all the film groups still have information up about their old November films and nothing about what, if anything, is occurring in December.
If you go to fresnobike.org there is a section for Bike Hop. It says to meet at 5pm but does not say what date or month! Creativefresno.com just has their meeting information for 3 weeks ago, and good luck trying to find out from any source where to go for Art Hop. When I ask people, they usually just say finding out the locations is by word of mouth.
There seems to be a pervasive assumption that everyone was born and raised in Fresno and lives in the Tower District. Therefore everyone is already aware of all events or the information can be shorthanded.
Heck, I'm glad I moved into the Riverpark area. Edwards theater keeps current on its postings and restaurants are actually open on Sundays!
bike hop treats
ya, one gallery even had a bowl of pork rinds (i had to verify with another skeptical patron). Never had one before and, like a car wreck, it was a life learning experience.
i likes my bikehop Thursdays, always the xlnt adventure
TONIGHT!!!
bike hoppers sober as judges
trashbins, half loaded with branches and twigs...
or was it the other way around?
anyway, a good time was had by all.
the trash containers?
or the bikehoppers?
Craig
Fresno: Garden City under the Sierra Nevadas
AHA!
...this explains the recent spate of whole grain wafers,
the odd grape,
and pink-7up-Sherbet punch (like the church ladies always made in the 60's)...
It's still a nice time, and I've seen plenty of BikeHoppers crash into trash containers and stuff without being loaded...
more on wine
I talked to some artists who began to worry about carding/liability type issues, as the crowds got larger.
Craig
Fresno: Garden City under the Sierra Nevadas
times have changed a bit
back in the good ol days, it seemed like every venue had free wine. then, art hop became a bit more successful. and the wine went away at most of the established joints. i find that the smaller venues still have wine. a lot of the tower joints seem good for it.
here's to truth in advertising...
...not that I went for this reason, but...
Of all the Bike Hops I been to? Maybe three stops actually had wine or brewski for the caravan o' two wheelers...
(one place had wine,even,,, but ran out of cups...)
usually?
yer lucky to get cheeze-its and a piece of lettuce that has half a chewed fingernail on it... (which is protein, but still, the nail polish can be a bit hard to get down unless you chew it like, forever...)
I go fer da art... an da cultchah... (always lotsa cultchah.)
(Not exactly a drunken orgy on da hoof,,, if ya know what I'm sayin... (not that I'm sayin..., I'm just sayin'...)
I second that...
Edluv is right. The California burrito is a thing of beauty.
If they want to get more people out to Art Hop they change the name to Free Wine Hop.
you've got to want it
here's what i know:
art hop has been around quite some time in fresno.
it has grown steadily.
as long as i've been going, they have had maps @ locations that told you all the galleries that were official participants. (heck, in the earlier days, the maps were updated monthly, and told what specific shows were happening @ each gallery.)
i've been telling people about art hop as long as i've been going. if nothing else, it's a chance to catch a free plastic cup of wine.
there have been articles in the paper.
there have announcements on local news stations.
emails, websites, flyers all have given notice in general about art hop as well as specific shows.
why don't people come? the answers are numerous.
some don't come because they've got the wrong idea about parts of town. this excuse doesn't really up all that well, especially since art hop is a city wide event. if down town gives you the willys, go to a gallery @ bullard and west. i'm not bashing those up there, either. go where you feel comfy. it's not like my beloved tower, or second fav downtown have the monopoly on cultural events in fresno. we just wish we did.
some don't come because they don't know where to go. well, ask someone. i'll tell you my favorites. go to the fresno arts council website, they have complete listings. go to other places like fresno famous or the undercurrent websites. tons of listings of where to go. if i didn't know where to go to get a good california burrito (and wanted one), i'd ask someone (btw, the answer is robertito's. california burrito is the synergy of all things good - asada, fries, cheese, salsa, tortilla.)
it's not a part of their lives/routine. well, try it a few times. you might just make it your priority for the first thursday of each month.
you don't like art. well, as much as this pains me as one who enjoys art and works to create it, okay. if you don't like art, i still suggest you check out art hop at least twice. you may find that you like something about it. or, at least you like looking at the kooky people that come out for art hop. or, you sip on that aforementioned free plastic cup o' grape.
if you know about art hop, tell people. invite your friends to join you (probably the most effective strategy). if they don't want to come, that's their choice. art hop isn't for everyone. neither are bull riding, football games, hip hop shows or the philharmonic.
but, if you do like art, and aren't going somewhere in this glorious city for art hop, you need to. support what you love.
seee, there ya go..
...funny, come to think if it, I've never been mugged up in the Champlain and Perrin section either...
...my truck gets called in as a 'derelict-collision-abandoned-vehicle, (with me still in it, even while driving down the road,)
-but mugged?
no.
Art Hop what?
I know that in my valley circle of friends (which is the twenty-something, Champlain/Perrin, Riverpark is the best thing that happened to Fresno type) they all had not have heard of Art Hop until recently, and these are smart, cultured people. I never heard of Art Hop until I found out about it on Creative Fresno, and I only discovered Creative Fresno when doing some research for a paper I wrote for a planning class (which is also how I found out about Fresno Famous!). Now that those in my circle of friends do know about Art Hop, they still don't go, not because they don't like art, but because they still hold the false notion that the Tower District is scary, that you will get mugged at night, and so on. Better marketing is definately needed. Perhaps better promos on the City of Fresno website, or commercials, or whatnot. But guides really are best. That is how I am introducing my friends to the plethora of restaurants in Tower and downtown, is just by taking them there. And they are loving it.
Blind to Art(Hop)
In Hanford, we created an event that closes one of the major streets for 26 Thursdays in a row. The newspaper ran 3 ads per week, on page 2 of the local paper. 3,000 people attend on a weekly basis, some coming 45 minutes away from Madera. Only 60,000 people live in Hanford. And yet, I would continually hear people say that they had never heard of the Thursday Night Market Place, and that we should market it better.
Some people just seem to be out of the loop. ArtHop is in its 13th year. Many articles in the Bee.
I gave a guided tour or ArtHop to a group of folks three years ago. I ran into one of them recently, they remaked how much they liked ArtHop, but didn't know how to get back to places, so they haven't been back since. Maybe we all need to volunteer for a guide to arthop a few times a year?
Craig
Fresno: Garden City under the Sierra Nevadas
re: regions involved
One of the reasons why I miss the ArtHop map when it's not published is that it (was, for a while there,) showing the different areas of Fresburg, (from 'Life below Belmont,' up to the 'Promised land' that borders the River, it showed venues that were (literally,) right in people's back yard.
A lot of folks don't think of ArtHop or BikeHop because it happens in an area (they think,) that is where they 'just don't go,'
(whether it's by avoidance -deliberately- ,or simply because their lives don't take them there.)
As much as Fresno wants to be one big happy town, it's exploding into separate ones.
-The way back into the 'one big happy,' is to show the (subdivisions,) what is happening up or down, or over, where they are, and then letting them work their way out of the local into the rest of the United State o Fresno.
Further:
I daresay that there may be more folks from one area of town that read or frequent this site, or 'high impact,' areas for promo more than others.
So someone who wanders into Irenes or Starline, (who walks past the place,) will more than likely know what is happening, when, where, and what it is,
---wheras someone who lives in another area won't know because the exposure is not there. (thinking this along with beavers remark,)
I think finding some sort of a natural 'kiosk,' area that would also be a hub for folks who may want to do ArtHop of Bike Hop would serve well, (for those who don't read Fresno Famous.)
Places to consider?
-some of the food stores up in the 'excuse-me,' section.
-ditto, some of the clubs.
-Places like Tri-Sport which is a very natural strong bridge between the uptown and downtown communities, (lots of cross pollination,)
--Ditto with Performance or HerbBauer, or CyclePath.
(I just talked to a guy at CyclePath who was totally interested in Critical Mass and BikeHop and such, -and has done this up in Washington State where it's much larger,) but didn't know it was happening here.
-He works more up in the NE
-Folks like that may be natural draws for people from their areas.
-First they need to know of it, and then they need to post the info...
Final thought:
-As much as I'd hate to see the groups fragment up, It may be a great idea to start different BikeHop or 'Art Hop Strings,' at those (central places,) for their regions.
(For example:
'...ArtHop North, Starting at PandaExpress at (6:00) next to Tri-Sport, we will be hitting the following stops: 1, 2, 3,.. (etc.)
and then do a route. (somewhat mappped out, but not definitive.)
Bike Hop, (though it changes from time to time,) usually has regular hits, and is then morphed out to whoever folks want to see,(example: your wanting to catch Shannon's show up at JavaWava... most folks wouldn't have asked, but everybody liked it, including the leader...)
For the life of me,
-without a map, and knowing how different stops play into a journey like 'BikeHop,' I'm clueless as to where to go and how to link the studios...
So, for as many great artists I've seen, -there are also others that I had no clue of.
-So I'm thinkig of (localized,) tours that would change from time to time, ---which will also coax folks out of their 'comfort zones,' and into other areas, galleries, and cultures...
-Sorry you won't be coming out this time.
(I found a great source for treaded 10 speed tires that would fit your Bridgestone by the way...)
Good point
But dismal crowds at some events are not just a Fresno issue. It happens everywhere. Not that it makes it "ok".
You're right though, promotion is key to everything.
i call it visibility
Good Theraminman,
There are too many amazing people doing amazing things in this town who suffer from what I call the "If You Build It, They Will Come" syndrome.
(Does anyone remember those TV commercials for the expansion of Bulldog Stadium in the early 1990s that used this slogan?)
In my opinion, every single event promoter in this city -- art, music, film, spoken-word, whatever -- needs to take it upon him or herself to make promotions their NUMBER ONE PRIORITY. Use every vehicle possible. Calendars, websites, FresnoFamous.com articles, mailers, courting of major media, flyers, handbilling, person-to-person connection, etc.
I've seen some great bands, films, and writers come through this town in the last four years since I boomeranged back here. And some of the crowds have been downright dismal. Promoters should take note: If you build it, people will NOT automatically come. Use some ingenuity and take responsibility for promoting your events, one by one by one, in any way you can.
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