On Saturday, May 15, 2010 from 11am to 6pm, Art on Alberta will hold its 11th Annual Art Hop with the theme, "ABC: Art Builds Community." Over 15 blocks of NE Alberta Street will be closed to car traffic to accommodate 150+ artists, craftspeople, music, dance and theater performances, interactive art events along with food and other vendors. This is a free arts event for kids of all ages! Come have some fun!

This year, Art Hop accomplishes a major murals project on NE Alberta Street. Three murals will be painted by area youth groups including participants from House of Umoja and Girls Inc. under the direction of Skidmore Prize winner Rodolfo Serna. A fourth mural will be painted by the attending public on the day of Art Hop, designed and supervised by Esteban Camacho. Art on Alberta has been facilitating these murals to eventually be located on three other nonprofits who serve this neighborhood: Sabin CDC, House of Umoja and Community Energy Project, as well as the Cork Wine Shop building.

Binks, Siren Nation, Bitch Media, Radio Room and Destination DIY are sponsoring stages with ongoing events throughout the day. A special exhibit of the original works used to create "Art in Hand - The Portland Project," a deck of unique playing cards designed by 54 local artists - will be on display during Art Hop and decks available for sale. Art on Alberta's 11th Annual Art Hop is supported in part by a grant from Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Major support also came from Joe's Crab
Shack, Bernie's Southern Bistro, Cork, Radio Room, Binks, Muse Art + Design, Zip Car, Combustible Media, and Bunny with a Toolbelt. Additional sponsors are listed on our Art on Alberta Sponsors page on our website.

As part of the promotion this year, Art on Alberta will be advertising on the back of two TriMet buses. To get the community more involved, Art on Alberta is hosting a contest from April 1st until May 15th. Spot the Art Hop ad, snap a photo and email it to: info@artonalberta.org.

Art on Alberta is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the Alberta Art District's distinct identity through art and educational activities. For more information about Art on Alberta, please visit www.artonalberta.org