For the past two years, seasonal Art Hop events held throughout Benton Harbor’s downtown Arts District have increasingly gained in popularity and participation, and the Summer, 2011, Man in the City-themed event promises to be bigger and better than ever.

This Friday, June 24, from 6 p.m.  until 9 p.m., Art Hoppers can satiate their appetite for art, culture and entertainment in more than 25 restaurants, galleries and studios offering wine, hors d’oeuvres and works from artists throughout the Midwest.

Highlights include live music on Water Street, a dedication at the Anna Russo-Sieber Gallery for artist John Sauve, creator of the Man in the City sculptures, whose orange, man-shaped silhouettes can be found peppered throughout the Arts District neighborhood.

Brammall Supply’s new Three Pillars Gallery will feature sculpture and charcoal drawings by Chicago artists Betsy Melchers and Jason McChristian.

The Studios at 210 will host a reception for artist Patrick Willis.

Performers Lari Lawrence-Gist and Susan Dietrich-Reed will be at Citadel Dance and Music Centers.
Photographs by Michael Koch will be at The Phoenix Café, and Water Street Glassworks will host a reception for mixed media artists Barb Yerace and Valerie Mann.

Art Hoppers can end their evening at the Ideal Place restaurant, or hear honkey tonk stalwart-turned-Minnesota heartland-rocker  Mary Cutrufello at the Livery Microbrewery. There is no prescribed order to Art Hop stops.

Guests are encouraged to start and end anywhere they choose, but are encouraged to visit places they haven’t yet explored.

Art Hop maps will be available in Water Street Glassworks, Tabor Hill Tasting Room, Anna Russo-Sieber Gallery and Studios at 210 Water Street.

A full list of events and locations can be found at the New Territory Arts Association’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/newterritoryarts.

Art Hops are organized four times per year by the New Territory Arts Association (NTAA), a non-profit organization dedicated to the revitalization of Benton Harbor through the arts.

Founded in 1998, the NTAA has supported art and cultural opportunities including the annual Artoberfest, Water Street Glasswork’s Fired Up! Program, the Benton Harbor Children’s Art Fair, the Citadel Dance and Music Centers and other regional arts education programs.