By Janet Sellers
May gives us sun, rain, and snow. We also get our very own art evenings in Downtown Monument. Our community-friendly annual art season is a great way to bring family, guests, and friends to town for a casual evening. Everybody needs some art and fun in the summer—let’s start by bringing home the art finds. Real art lasts for life and makes wonderful gifts and souvenirs of fun summer memories.
Our Art Hop season kicks off on May 23, 5-8 p.m. It’s our monthly event on fourth Fridays, May through September. The convivial event includes local art, shopping, food trucks and family fun in Downtown Monument. We walk through town, taking in the sculpture park, visiting friends old and new, and adding a playful note to our summer evenings.
This season looks to offer a variety of themes and unconventional art venues to invigorate our creative sights and sounds for artists and our community. Artworks, artists, and art demonstrations as well as ephemeral street chalk art are things that will be offered over the season. You might see optical illusions and 3D effects like false holes in the ground, a river of water, or creatures popping out of the pavement, so show up and see what’s in store each time.
Local art galleries including Bella Art and Frame Gallery and Jefferson Studios will have their May art exhibits on view. New to the Jefferson Studios art venue is the log cabin gallery, along with the Chapel Art Gallery and the Open Studio venues. Around town, shops and sidewalks will host artists for the evening, often with demonstration artists, all amid the live music and family fun to enjoy.
Each Art Hop event offers a unique theme and set of activities, providing a fresh experience every month. For instance, the event on May 23 will feature an outdoor sound bath, local artists, and craft vendors at Faery Grove at 251 Front St. Ste. 4.
Janet Sellers is an artist, writer and speaker, offering art, workshops, cultural talks, and local mindful forest walks for all ages. Contact her to find out more at JanetSellers@ocn.me.
Other Art Matters articles
- Art Matters – Contemporary art: The return of bold beauty (4/5/2025)
- Art Matters – Amateur: art just for the love of it (3/1/2025)
- Art Matters – The arts as medicine; Palmer Lake Art Group plans new venues (2/1/2025)
- Art Matters – Art, energy sites, and hugging hormone (1/4/2025)
- Art Matters – How does art make people feel good? (12/5/2024)
- Art Matters – It’s not just decor: Art creates a space and creates our sense of place (11/2/2024)
- Art Matters – October is Arts Month, aka Artober (10/5/2024)
- Art Matters – Real local art made for real people (9/7/2024)
- Art Matters – On the superpowers of art and daydreaming (8/3/2024)
- Art Matters – Chautauqua: “the most American thing in America” (7/6/2024)
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