Pop-ups added to this year’s Gallery Hop

Galleries from the North Shore and Southside districts still outnumber all others, but this year’s Gallery Hop will include shows on M.L. King, 11th Street and Brainerd Road, and it will include a few pop-up shows and studios for the first time.

“It has always been that the two busiest spots are the North Shore and along Main Street, and that is still true,” says Lauren Goforth, education and exhibitions director for the Association for Visual Arts, which produces the event. “But it is a lot more spread out this year, which is great. It is more representative of the city as a whole.”

Goforth says AVA is all about connecting the community with artists, and the event fits in perfectly with that goal.

“For AVA, this gives us an opportunity to work with all the other great galleries,” she says. “We like to see what everyone else is doing. And it is important to promote all of these artists and galleries and to celebrate them.”

She says the more people know about and support any one or two galleries, the better it is for everyone.

Gallery hoppers can visit as many studios as they want and design any type of route they want. A Chattanooga Double Decker bus will again be carrying people from place to place, and the galleries and studios will be offering specials and, in some cases, artist demonstrations, receptions and refreshments.

A map featuring the various locations will be available at all participating galleries. It can be used throughout the year for touring the local arts scene.

Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.