My optimist, idealistic side was so happy the first time I heard details spelled out about the 2nd Saturday ArtHop in Redding, that began July 12:
What a great idea! What a brilliant collaboration between Troy Hawkins and Adam Mankoski of Hawkman Studios and everyone at Enjoy Magazine. What’s not to love about that? What’s not to love about the good those people are doing for our community?
Businesses open their doors, provide refreshments and host north state artists’ work. Artists showcase their talent, network with potential customers and perhaps even sell their work. The community follows maps published in Enjoy Magazine that tell which artists will appear at which venue.
How cool for the everyone, in a triple-bonus way: Businesses gain foot traffic and exposure. Artists gain recognition and attention. The community gains something fun to do on a Saturday night, and learns something along the way about the talent, commerce and people right here. For free!
I remember one night, maybe three months after ArtHop began, that I stood on the corner of Market and Sacramento streets and nearly wept with joy to see pedestrians in downtown Redding at night, walking from place to place. As someone who’s lived here since I was 5, that’s a sight I hadn’t seen in decades.
Even so, my cynical side reared her negative head:
ArtHop every month? Golly, is that sustainable? You know how fickle the public can be. What if ArtHop becomes one of those been-there, done-that events and people lose interest? Wouldn’t it be better to run ArtHop from, say, May through December? I mean, really, will Reddingites come out in winter in all kinds of weather? Will they be interested in resuming ArtHop after the holidays?
Since aNewsCafe.com readers/viewers have been informed about ArtHop since its inception, many of you attended from the get-go. You probably noticed the same thing I did: ArtHop swelled in popularity, and it kept growing, right into winter.
In fact, the November ArtHop was especially memorable. Troy had invited me to introduce James Santos and his Dance Project’s Cascade Christmas in front of the Cascade Theatre.
Sure, happy to.
The beautiful chilly evening turned into a surreal experience as expectant crowds waited in front of the Cascade for the Cascade Christmas preview.
Suddenly lightning flashed and flitted in the western skies like a giant faulty lamp switch: Bright, dark, bright dark. Far-off thunder clapped and roared for attention: boom, crash, boom crash. A few pregnant drops splatted onto Market Street. Thick black-and-gray clouds churned and broiled overhead.
Adam and Troy looked at each other with an expression of total horror and disbelief. One of them mouthed the words: Oh. My. God.
I introduced the Dance Project. The dancers danced. Santa and Mrs. Claus greeted children.
As if right on cue, just as the dancers’ number ended, the sky ripped open and dumped sheets of water and wind onto Redding. Thunder and lightning competed for attention.
People covered their heads and dashed for shelter under awnings and doorways. ArtHop still had hours to go before it would end that night.
I thought for sure people would go home.
Some may have, but every ArtHop venue we visited that night was packed with ArtHoppers, some of whom (like the Greenbergs) were soaking wet.
So I was wrong about that. Despite the storm, many people stayed, played and enjoyed themselves.
The December ArtHop was a success, too.
And on Saturday, January’s ArtHop – the one I worried might suffer a post-holiday flattening – was more crowded than ever, including two preview showings at the Cascade – free – of the Dance Project’s Exposed! A Celebration of Dance, by James Santos.
I sat in the audience and watched the opening dance number, performed to the song Imagine.
Imagine Redding without ArtHop?
Impossible.
