One of the things that makes a community livable and attractive is quality of life. That’s a phrase that usually has little to do with material comfort but rather with one’s personal satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the cultural or intellectual conditions under which he or she lives. Chattanooga and the surrounding area, it is generally agreed, provide an enviable quality of life. A case in point: Saturday’s fifth annual Gallery Hop, an event that allows residents and visitors to meet and engage local artists in discussion, to view demonstrations and to gain unique insights into the creative process – all at no cost.
The hop has proved to be a popular event in its short existence. Hard-and-fast numbers are difficult to come by; the nature of the event precludes that. Some people only visit a only a gallery or artist or two. Others stop by several. A hardy group each year tries to visit as many participants as possible within the event’s time frame, which is from 2-9 p.m. this year. Anecdotal information gathered from visitors, galleries and artists suggest that several thousand people visited at least one stop on the hop last year.
That turnout clearly invigorated the art community and encouraged wider involvement. This week’s hop features 36 participants – 22 galleries and 14 artists – that offer a broad variety of original work and a chance in many instances to visit studios and facilities where artists create their works. Last year, by comparison, there were 29 venues at the event produced by the Association for Visual Arts.
The Gallery Hop is, in fact, a broad-based celebration of the visual arts. By including galleries and artists scattered across the city’s urban core, it loosely ties the community’s sometimes fragmented art scene into a cohesive whole for a singular event.
A handy brochure/guide is available to those who need a map to the varied venues or additional information about the galleries and artists. It’s available at participating galleries. Additional information can be found at www.avarts.org/galleryhop or by calling 265-4282, ext. 106.