About Us Dear Reader and Art Enthusiasts, Since our start in 2008 the Merced Art Hop has strived to make the arts more prominent in our city. For our 2016 year we have big things in store, starting with the opening of Epekel Gallery. Located at 1733 Canal Street, it will serve as a base of operations for the Art Hop and offer local and Central Valley artists a variety of resources including work spaces for a monthly membership, display space in the gallery with a yearly membership, and art classes. Monthly displays will begin with a reception on the first Thursday of each month, ensuring that artists have a new way to put their work into the public eye. Artists looking to hone their craft can take classes aimed at local high school students as well as education aimed at children, adults, and seniors. We are also excited to announce our Art Therapy sessions. Other happenings to look for this year include our Pop Up Store, which will take place inside of the new location. While the progress made by opening Epekel Gallery is a step forward for Merced area artists, we are always looking to establish new partnerships with local organizations, and will continue our fundraising efforts to build an even stronger infrastructure to help support our local arts community. As such, this quarter we have partnered with Dignity Health and their Project Human Kindness campaign that is working to spread kindness around the world. With that in mind, many of this quarter's events revolve around what one or two people can do to help make their community or
FIND US MAH Epekel Gallery: 1733 Canal St, Merced,CA 95340 Website: MercedArtHop.org Facebook: Facebook.com/DowntownMAH Twitter: Twitter.com/MercedArtHop Email: Kimberly@MercedArtHop.org Advertising: 209-658-2587 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 3351 Merced, CA 95344
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PUBLISHER Kevin Hammon EDITORIAL
John Miller
MARKETING Kevin Hammon DESIGN Kimberly Zamora Creative Director Chloe Peterson
Graphic Designer
PHOTOGRAPHY John Miller PRINT Brightdart Print & Design EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Kimberly Zamora PRESIDENT/CEO Kevin Hammon BOARD MEMBERS Jared Covert Desiree Flores Herrera Kimberly Zamora Kevin Hammon Notice of CopyrightŠ All materials contained within the Merced Art Hop Quarterly publication are protected by copyright unless otherwise stated, or in the case of any provided materials, the owner of that content retains the copyright. You may not alter, reproduce, distribute, publish, transmit or broadcast any material contained within the Merced Art Hop Quarterly publication without prior consent from the Merced Art Hop Board or other copyright owner. Merced Art Hop Quarterly takes care to ensure that all information is correct at the time of printing; however the publisher accepts no responsibility or liability for the accuracy of any information contained within the publication or advertisements. Views expressed are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher or editorial staff.
06 Artist of the Quarter
08 Map
10 Dignity Health
12 The Garage
14 Fashion Sense
15 MCAC
From one artist's generation to another. Learn more about Hello HumanKindness.
Art Hop Co-Founder & Designer Kimberly Zamora lays out bold fashion tips.
Navigate the Merced Art Hop like a pro. A look into the local music scene with 92.5 The Bear and Gottschalks Music.
Three of Merced's prominent artists come together under one roof.
Print • Blueprints • Design
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Graphic Design • Business Cards • Direct Mail • Flyers Posters • Tickets • Booklets • Postcards • Banners • Invitations
209-385-3800
528 W. Main St. • Merced, CA 95340 www.brightdart.com
Mark your calendars next MAH January 16 | April 16 | July 16 | October 15
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The Business of the Arts Since their grand opening in October, the Alliance Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has been helping local business owners and entrepreneurs find solid footing for their Merced business ventures. From marketing and financial record keeping to bringing on new employees and industry regulations, their nearly three dozen consultants can help with almost any problem. With free and confidential services, the only catch to growing your business with Alliance SBDC is that you’re ready to put in the work alongside their team. In addition to helping the typical ventures that spring to mind when thinking of small businesses, places like Coffee Bandits or Hoffman Electronic Systems, working and professional artists who want to make a living off of their art can benefit greatly from the services and resources available at the Alliance SBDC. By helping artists take a look into their target market, finding new streams of revenue, or managing their finances and taxes, Alliance SBDC can benefit many artists by increasing their business knowledge. Services offered cover every aspect of operating a business, such as establishing pricing structures and working effectively 4
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with clients. With a team of consultants that draw on experience from their careers as Certified Personal Accountants, Human Resources Management, or individuals who have successfully navigated the twists and turns of starting a new business multiple times, you can rest easy knowing you’re getting information from someone who has been through the process firsthand. For those who have a handle on their business dealings, Alliance SBDC can still help by providing access to large amount of wall space in their many rooms and increasing name recognition. Through their partnership with the Merced Art Hop, Alliance SBDC has been placing artwork of all types throughout their building. This practice helps ensure that the walls of Alliance SBDC are never empty and that local artists have their work seen by everyone, from the Mayor and Police Chief, to top UC Merced officials and the campus’ following of art lovers. Alliance SBDC can be contacted by stopping by their office located at 1735 M Street here in Merced, Monday thru Friday from 8am to 5pm or by calling 209.386.1008. More information is available at AllianceSBDC.com.
HS Art Clubs
to announce MAH iswepleased have begun working with Merced high schools to help support the artists within their halls. Once created, the Merced Art Hop clubs will focus on additional members, gallery exhibits and Art Hop centered events to showcase our youngest artists. By shining the limelight on their talent, our hope is to get funding back into school art classes. Art plays an important roll in development and higher education.
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Artists of the Quarter Darlene Adams & Jonathan Mondragon For the past two years, Jonathan Mondragon and Darlene Adams have shown their work side-by-side at the Merced Art Hop, challenging viewers to match one of two takes on the same subject with its correct artist. Despite the decades of experience in painting that Adams has on her grandson, the challenge to assign the artwork is difficult for many viewers. As the youngest artist showing at the Art Hop, Mondragon’s artistic starting point appears to have been inherited from his grandmother, allowing him to kick off his creative endeavors with decades of skill under his belt by virtue of his bloodline. Since he was first able to put a pencil to paper he has only further improved upon them, and as he continues to sharpen his skills in front of a canvas, Adams has found her love for creating reignited as she works to stay a step ahead and pass along her knowledge to the young artist.
I think he would be amazing as a technical artists Originally from Michigan, Adams moved to Santa Barbara before settling in Merced. Despite the change of scenery, the arts have remained a constant part of her life. Starting in high school, her work was comprised of pen and ink drawings and encompassed everything from portraiture and stippling pieces to renditions of ornate churches and other architectural pieces that made use of interesting line work. As time went on, her body of work changed to watercolor and acrylic paint6
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ings that depict landscapes and other naturalistic scenes. “Now I look for interesting lighting in scenes. Where the light comes in from a direction that creates long shadows or backlights things,” said Adams. “Sunsets are something we’ve done a couple of watercolors of, and we just did our first acrylic of one. So were doing more of those now as well.” Born and raised in Merced, Mondragon got his start in the arts at a very young age, saying that creating things has always felt natural to him and he’s been doing it since he was able to first pick up a pencil. “I just loved the creativity that comes with a pencil, brush or canvas,” said Mondragon. “The fact that I can just create an image from my head.” Adams recalls watching Mondragon as he showed his first signs of an artistic inclination as he began illustrating stories he had imagined at the age of 3 and compiling them into a full-fledged book by age 7. She began to notice that where other kids were creating doodles, her grandson’s drawing appeared to be following compositional rules and accurate proportions. “His amazing grasp on spatial relationships allowed him to draw things like a top-down view of a car in a drift even though he hasn’t ever seen a car from that view,” Adams said of his ability to transpose views. After seeing this inherent skill, Adams set in on working with Mondragon on a regular basis to further his abilities. For the last three years, Adams has been formally serving as a mentor and teaching him everything she knows.
“Mainly I’m just giving him the skills to do what he’s picturing in his head right now,” said Adams. She went on to say that this mostly consists of honing his ability to break complex scenes down into basic shapes, shading areas according to how they are lit, and going over specific forms such as the human figure or trees. “He has been doing a lot of work on his own at this point, but going over these skills is good because it reinforces proportions and with the human figure its musculature,” she added. “If I can give him all that he needs to do what he wants to do, then I’ve done my job as a teacher.” As far as where Mondragon will take his skills as he makes his way into adulthood, both he and his grandmother have a fairly good idea of where that will be. Currently Mondragon is planning on work towards a creative career in aerospace engineering, or another related field that will allow him to make use of his abilities. “I think he would be amazing as a technical artist,” Adams said of the career path. She went on to say that between his grasp of spatial relationships, his understanding of light, and his artistic abilities in general he can see him easily producing pieces that not only
relay vital information, but do so in a way that will present projects and concepts in a manner that stands out from other candidates in the field. To foster this goal, Adams noted that she is “planning on buying a set of drafting tools for him in the future.” For now though, Mondragon is happy remaining steadfast in his pursuit of general artistic knowledge. “I’m just sticking to what we are doing because she is my teacher,” Mondragon said of his grandmother and mentor. During the Art Hop, both artists will have their work on display inside of Binary Systems on the corner of Main Street and M Street. Consisting of a variety of mediums, the pair typically put in anywhere between a four to six hours over the course of several weekends. Art lovers can also view additional pieces that the duo has produced together by stopping by the gallery spaces inside of the Merced County Courthouse, in the jury room, or the UC Merced Venture Lab, on the corner of M St. and 18th St.
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Info Table
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Businesses + Artists
Christie Asai + Iris Asian + Lisa Gilliland-Viney TBA John Tomason Angel Barajas Sandee Smith Mila Booth + Bob Smith + Cherry Ann Carlson + Laura Alvarez + Deanna Schmitz + Sue Cauwels Paul Buxman 7. Center for Health Program Management CSU Stanislaus Art Club 8. MAH Epekel Gallery Mariela Landeros 9. At the Pier 10.Cold Stone Creamery Dob Francise + Katrina Cultural Association in Belgrade Kenny Mo + Early Empires + The Skylights 11. Gottschalk Music Ctr Rock ‘n Roll Exhibit 12. Strawberry Alarm Clock Della Salas + Leana Hunter + Lynda Gates 13. Merced Antique Mall Bob Smith 14. Trevino’s Amy Bianchini 15. The Cue Spot Billiards Radio Merced + Video Installation + Interactive art 16. Bob Hart Square Jonathan Vazquez 17. 510 Bistro Danny Loreto 18. Country Comfort Austin Castro 19. Second Time Around 20. Brightdart Print and Design Eulalia Gamez Craft Designers and Information Tables 21. Arbor Walk South Merced High Art Club 22. 1637 M St Darlene Adams + Jonathan Mondragon 23. Binary Systems CPU Repair 24. 600 B=L=O=C=K DJ Jay + Video installation 25. United Way Frank Hassett + Lori Schiffbauer + Mariposa Art Company Dob Frances +Jenell Barnes + Kimberly Zamora Ruth Elias 26. Vault Works 1. MCAC 2. Tigers and Daggers 3. Red Sky Comics 4. Manasseh Thrift 5. All Pro Bail Bonds 6. Arbor Walk North
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Bands + Performers
Gottschalk Music Center [Kenny Mo @5pm | Early Empires @6pm | The Skylights @7pm] 600 B=L=O=C=K [Dj Jay] Bob Hart Square [Twila Grace @6-6:25pm & 7-7:25pm]
Exhibitions
Rock’n Roll Exhibit [Strawberry Alarmclock 1626 MLKJr Way] Arbor Walk Artists [500 block] Hellohumankindness.org Chalk [sidewalks] CSU Stanislaus Art Club [Mah Epekel Gallery 1733 Canal St] Merced High School [16367 M St] Video Installations [600 Block & BH Square]
Bob Hart Square
Interactive Art Activities
Wood Peg Figurines | Scratch Away Color Design Paper Mache Mini-Birdhouses | Color Reveal Fold-up Birds Human Kindness Tree Notes | Human Kindness Heart Postcarts
Information Booth
Art & Go Seek Scavenger Hunt | Craft Designers & Information Tables MAH 2016 Calendars | Mah Quarterly
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Humankindness
In a world that can leave people isolated, Dignity Health is act of humanity can be an act of heroism, big or small. In c It’s an act in which one person creates a connection with a connections can work wonders for the human spirit.
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hello human kindness
s is good for us.
helping to unleash the healing power of humanity. An contrast, kindness is more personal, but equally powerful. another, which strengthens them both. And these human
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Sounds of Merced
'The Garage' Asst. Program Director and Asst. Music Director for 92.5 KBRE-FM "The Bear" Chris Moreno shares an inside look into Merced’s music scene based on his years of experience as an Afternoon DJ and Co-Host alongside of fiancée Dalia Costa for the Local Specialty Rock Show “The Garage.”
For the past three years, we have featured up and coming and underground artists trying to get spins on the FMQB rock and alternative specialty charts every Saturday night from 6pm - 7pm. We also provide local festival coverage and themed episodes throughout the year that have included Coachella, Bottlerock, California Roots, Symbiosis Gathering, Bay Area Vibez, and Aftershock. We are musicians ourselves and truly love live music and finding new sounds. Our musical community here in Merced and surrounding Central Valley cities is very diverse and very much alive and we try to show that on our program. We feature local band episodes every three months to coincide with the Merced Art Hop. We hope that you will tune in to our specialty show and check out the local artists from all around Central California. We will be playing our next local band episode at our 92.5 The Bear tent at Bob Hart Square during the Art Hop between 6pm - 7pm. You can tune in to 92.5 FM or you can stream us anywhere, anytime at 925thebear.com. Check out and follow our Facebook page for set lists at Facebook. com/TheGarageOn925 and Twitter @TheGarageon925. Check out our show every week for new music! If you are in a local band or if you know someone that is, submit your clean and edited tracks to our Facebook and we will do our best to get your music on the radio! Be heard! Get involved! Be the change you want to hear on the airwaves. A great place to see local bands perform during the Art Hop is Gottschalk Music Center at 355 W. Main Street. Rick Stokes has been working there for over a decade and has been involved with many local bands throughout the years. Gottschalk Music Center started featuring local artists playing music in their storefront, so I chatted with Rick about how it all began and how you can get involved. 12
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The Garage: Hey Rick, thanks for taking some time to talk about the upcoming Art Hop as well as your awesome music shop that doubles as a venue for local bands! So how did you get started putting on shows at Gottschalk Music Center?
ensembles, to a French Horn choir. We welcome anyone from any genre and skill level.
Rick: Well, I started working for Barker's music in 2001. I've been working with Gottschalk Music since 2004. We've hosted live music in the past. We worked with the DLM Magazine and hosted a couple of all ages shows. We also had some bands play to promote the Sweatfest shows as well as the Halloween shows that 92.5 FM The Bear used to throw at Castle Air Museum. We've also had bands play for the Zombie Walk when it was on Main Street. When the Art Hop began we decided that we should host bands as our way of participating in something that we feel really gives back to our community. We enjoy hosting a variety of musicians; from rock bands, singer songwriters, jazz groups, choral
Rick: We have three acts scheduled to perform for this upcoming Art Hop: Kenny Mo — Facebook.com/ kmostern, Early Empires — Facebook.com/early.empires, The Skylights — Facebook.com/ theskylights
The Garage: Awesome! What do you guys have lined up for the Art Hop on January 16th?
The Garage: How can people get in contact with you and Gottschalk Music Center to see if they can perform at the next Art Hop? Rick: People can stop by Gottschalk Music Center at 355 West Main Street and ask for me, give us a call at (209) 723-3337, or they can email me at: Rick@gottachalkmusiccenter.net
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PASTEL + BLACK = CONTRAST
Pastels are soft colors So add a hint of Black to add some contrast 14
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Merced Arts Center Features Top Talent The Merced County Arts Council will be featuring a grouping of prominent local artists during the Merced Art Hop inside of the Merced Multicultural Arts Center located at 645 Main Street. Covering a variety of subject, Christie Asai, Iris Asai, and Lisa Gilliland-Viney paintings will fill the main gallery with bursts of color and style as part of the “Spectacle” exhibit.
Christie Asai holds a B.A in Studio Art from UC Santa Barbara and her work is currently featured in galleries, art festivals, and art associations across the Central Valley. Self-taught artist Iris Asai embraces the continuous challenge she finds when she picks up a paint brush. Her work strives to capture moments in time and a sense of peacefulness have won numerous local awards.
gallery with bursts of color and style Lisa Gilliland-Viney’s paintings aim to present the viewer with a duality and the moment in time between the two opposing qualities. Focusing on this “edge” between two qualities, Gilliland-Viney portrays the moment between happiness and sadness, balance and falling, reality and appearance, and confusion and understanding throughout the show. Those interested in attending the show after the Merced Art Hop are encouraged to stop by Tuesday through Friday from 11 until 6 during gallery hours. The Spectacle exhibit will be showcased until February 2nd, at which point local photographer Jay Sousa’s work featuring portraits of local athletes will begin to line the walls M A H
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Community Arts Calendar