The 12 Steps of Gallery Hopping

First off, for those of you who are not aware of what 'Gallery Hopping' is...

Every week the bustling City of New York (my Artopia) area holds various art exhibitions with a grand opening night. It is on this night that random galleries/ art institutions/ artist alternatives unveil the artist(s) works that will be featured for about the duration of one month.
The blockbuster night takes place predominantly on Thursdays around 6-9 p.m. all through out NYC. (However, keep in mind for those Artoholic folks, one can find an art opening in NYC on just about every night of the week!) 
So revel in the plethora of culture that NYC has to offer and participate in what I refer to as 'Gallery Hopping', where one can drink a complimentary glass of wine (or two or three...), while conversing about art.

Now, on to the 12 Steps of Gallery Hopping...

1. Often those that join me on a the gallery hop, ask the simple questions - what do I wear?
If your worrying about what to wear - it's New York, eh em, Artopia! A suit, a dress, a t-shirt and jeans, pink, blond or purple hair, you can get away with anything.  Remember, this is your chance to go wild - it's art, the skies the limit!

2. Choose a section.
The problem with gallery hopping in NYC on a Thursday night with only a few allotted hours, is how do you see it all? The answer, impossible! The trick, pick a section of NYC and hit up as many art openings as possible. See the list below:

Downtown
Chinatown/LES
SoHo
Chelsea
Uptown
Brooklyn/Williamsburg
Queens

(Caution, see number 5).

3. Make a 'Must See' list.
Once you choose your section of NY, compile a 'must see' list of all the art openings that you might find of interest.
Some may ask me, "how do I find out about these openings?" Although I will post every week my own list of 'must see' exhibitions, each individual has their own taste.  There are various sites that list art openings where you can click on the link to get a press release that will discuss the concept of the exhibition. (My favorite is artcards.cc)

4. Realize NY is busy. Not only is there car traffic but also pedestrian traffic, as well!
Since you only have a short amount of time to hit up your 'must sees', time management is a must when getting to your desired area of NYC.

5. Don't just see the art works, absorbs them!
Even though you want to hit up all your 'must sees', you want to be sure you actually remember what you see. (Especially so you can join me in some art talk on my blog to go over our gallery hopping extravaganzas!) So again, time management is a must. If your going to see five shows in the course of two hours, allow for about 24 minutes in each space.

6. Upon entering the art space grab a press release (usually on the front desk). Give it a quick once over - no need to get too much in depth - sometimes I tend to take the press release after I have viewed the exhibition - I like to let the art works speak for themselves - especially, curated shows (an exhibition with a conceptual theme, usually with two or more featured artists' works).

7. Look, don't touch!
Unless its an interactive piece, don't touch, graze, poke, or caress the art work! Definitely, a taboo in the art world.

8. Observe, absorb and possibly discuss with the fellow Artoholics around you.
Self explanatory.

7. Stay and discuss or move along.
Just because you thought the chosen exhibition "might" be of interest doesn't mean it will turn out that way. That's okay, now you have the opportunity to hit up some spaces that did not make it on the list.

8. If their not on my 'must see' list, how do I find more?
Here is a perfect opportunity to engage with the fellow Artoholics. Ask them what's on their 'must see' list. Many have something on theirs' that you may have missed.

9. If your the shy type.
Stand outside the space and look around - I guarantee a crowd has formed outside an art space, either down the block, across the street, around the corner or somewhere near by that's most likely an art opening.  When all else fails, follow the crowd.

10. Engage in art talk.
Sometimes the art works gain new and diverse meanings when speaking to fellow Artoholics. Its a wonderful way to gain various perceptions on how the art work might be viewed. Remember, there are no rights or wrongs in the art world.

11. After observing, absorbing, and discussing conjure up your own perception behind the concept of the art works you viewed throughout the course of your gallery hop.

12. Join me on my blog, ARTOHOLICS AWARENESS, where we discuss everyday, 24/7 under 'ART TALK'!