The FROSTival Downtown Gallery Hop is a seasonal event that took place Thursday, Feb. 1. It welcomed anyone interested in arts to visit galleries in the city for free during extended hours, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Different galleries were involved in the Gallery Hop and one could see artists, gallery owners and directors in the building, next to their latest exhibitions, offering refreshments, activities and music for guests to enjoy.
Participating galleries included the Gallery on Queen, The Artisan District, Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Gallery 78, the Charlotte Glencross Gallery and Penny Gallery.
This was a fantastic opportunity for students to enjoy art together while fostering an environment where art is appreciated next to the people who make it possible in the first place.
Beaverbrook Art Gallery Manager of Public Programs, Adda Mihailescu, expressed how events like these are necessary to experience art in its space.
Mihailescu said that accessibility to galleries ensures the wide opportunities available to students for knowing art firsthand, being next to the people who create it and having meaningful conversations with them.
“When talking to other artists in the event it’s interesting to hear about what goes into a piece and other processes,” she said.
Galleries also included activities for their guests like Valentine’s Day card making, watercolour painting and embroidery.
“[The Gallery Hop offers] multiple opportunities for connecting with visual arts, but also other disciplines, whether it’s music, poetry or dance,” said Nadia Khoury, representative of Gallery on Queen.
She said attending the downtown gallery hops is experiencing galleries in a different manner than one usually would on any usual day.
“[During the Gallery Hop] it’s the same mood in all of the galleries so it ties us together like one,” she said.
This is because they invite local musicians, have the artists there, do poetry readings and open themselves up to anyone who would like to enjoy and celebrate art.
“People arrive in groups and enjoy the space, the music, the tours we offer, and it’s amazing to see how full the spaces get,” said Khoury.
Events like the Gallery Hop help to build spaces meant for the accessibility of the appreciation of art and serve to broaden art culture in a student-driven city such as Fredericton, while also helping downtown business.
“It presents an opportunity for audience growth or for inviting or having people in the gallery who are not necessarily the normal gallery-goers but are interested in seeing what the galleries can offer,” she said.
