What a way to ring in the new year. The January Gallery Hops are always the least attended, by hoppers and gallery owners alike. Many were on vacation and didn't open. Others just continued with December's show. This is also the month for the worst weather. Gallery Hop has only been canceled once, and that was a January one. For 2010 we got temperatures in the teens and light snow flurries. Something needs to be thought up to take advantage of this situation as most people are on holiday and could make an effort to come down except for the cold weather.
Rivet Gallery captured the top show honors with an urban paper art theme "Rock, Paper, Scissors". This is a new collectible art form where artists make small sculpture out of cut and folded paper. Matthew Hawkins curated and did many of the toy-like pieces. The few who braved the cold could get a free piece that they could cut-out, fold, and glue into a cartoon sculpture.
http://www.custompapertoys.com 
RoyGBiv Gallery offered two artists doing subtle and rather tender small pieces void of much color. Anna Laurie Mackay (above top) worked on tissue papers, some that were woven and most with subtle words and dates. Sara Berens's pieces were small drawings of hands and arms in and out of holes or bound together.
The gallery hop continues to be the place to see unique new transportation. This made in china electric car was an odd sight, but perhaps a glimpse of things to come.
Window shopping was the top sport for this January hop, even if the store wasn't open. Posh Pets (above) showed the latest in dog fashions to keep warm in winter.
Phia Salon was aggressively trying to get people into the shop to register for free make overs or massages. Silhouette artwork was a blast from the victorian past that hasn't been seen much.
Worthington Studios offered colorful window peeping of his brightly colored metal sculpture.
The Lindsay Gallery continued their show from December, but added a few extra pieces that warmed the hearts of window shoppers.
The North Short North is becoming more fashion oriented. 4th and High Studios is a new shop that claims to be clothing designers to be reckoned with.
Window displays for the holidays have been added since the December Holiday Hop. The above new vintage resale shop offered free candy canes while taking in their sharp display.
The Columbus Haberdashery has opened near Fifth and High which seemed to be about more than hats.
Flower Child (above) is the king of window and sidewalk displays. They put out one more Christmas collection with a Santa that seems to be happy it is all about over with for this year.
The Surly Girl Saloon had an odd holiday window display with a pirate octopus or something (above left). Meanwhile, Waldo's brought us scissors and stylized trees but no live models. Live models were pretty much gone from all of the shops. Yet, a few street musicians braved the cold for a time.
Coffeeshops were popular, but even they couldn't find enough gallery hoppers. The new resale shop Funky and Functional opened with a great collection of reasonably priced collectibles. Their store has a backroom as well. This is a great time to buy art from the past, the prices have never been lower.
Ian Alexander Horn built an extensive installation piece in that 4th Ave. building that used to hold an address machine service. He used projection TV onto a table with plates to show people eating as well as another projector of a painting over a mantel. It was a recreation of sorts of a Massachusetts house except the upstairs took you to a brightly lighted cube of a room.
Ed Gately (above left) and Vladimir Munoz (above right) displayed some outstanding art at the Catacomb Gallery in the basement on Buttles Ave.
The March, 2010 Gallery Hop enjoyed great early Spring weather after a snowy February. Activity started early to catch some daylight and early bargains. Many street musicians like this violinist from a different century in front of Funky & Functional.
The Mahan Gallery included illustrations by Jen Mann of women with wild animals, tintype photographs by Lacey Hedtke and bee pictures by Bethany Davis. Mahan Gallery was featured in a New York Times article on the Short North and its gallery hop.
Sherrie Gallery (above) had porcelain objects by Leigh Taylor Mickelson that fascinated.
The Terra Gallery has taken over other businesses' windows and brought in live artists painting and drawing in the gallery. They also got involved with the Arnold Sports Festival to bring art making to the body builders and 17,000 athletes in town for the weekend.
Sharon Weiss Gallery has a new sign and a variety of artists available. They also got written up in the New York Times article.
RoyGBiv Gallery had an art critic (above top) writing live reviews of various small works in the second gallery (above lower). Lori Waxman is known as the 60 wrd/min art critic who was joined by another art critic to fill one of the walls with art reviews. The reviews tended to be rather wordy.
The Arnold Classic was on with 170,000 visitors cramming the convention center (above top), arena, and vets memorial. Many specials were available in the Short North and positive words could be overheard by the surprised outsiders to downtown Columbus.
Bicycle rickshas were all over the Short North ready for passengers like here infront of Waldo's.
The Lindsay Gallery had 30th Century cave paintings by Casey McGlynn as well as other folk art. McGlynn is one of the most popular outsider artists in the last decade.
Gallery 83 (above 3 pictures) continues to show some of the most exciting small works in this seat of the pants gallery on 1st Avenue. The top portrait paintings were done on styrofoam insulation and could be had for a mere $5.
RivetGallery had small works by Amanda Spayd (above) about the Decadence of Decay.
A street painter really went all out in the north Short North near 5th Ave.
Rebecca Ibel Gallery (above) had New York artist Karla Wozniak and her solo show "Your Ad Here".
A new gallery replaced the 4th and High fashion studio with a surprise art show of local work (above).
Kathryn Gallery (above) brought color to the Short North.
Unfortunately, the South Campus Gateway development didn't have anything going on in their Arts in the Alley. The Ohio Art League was closed and the artwork wasn't fully installed. The Red Cross graphic is fitting for the this new Art Alley repositioning of this five year old lifestyle center for college students.
