In retrospect, I probably sounded a bit like a pickup artist at the February Hop. I spent a few hours touching base with visitors, asking them a variety of questions… innocuous little tidbits like:

Where ya in from?

What’s been your favorite stop so far?

Come here often?

You can find out a lot that way. For example, the Short North is probably the number one place locals bring out of town guests… particularly if it’s a Hop. Or, that about half of our visitors have never walked north of 1st Avenue. These folks are missing some amazing destinations that have blossomed “way up in yonderland.” More on that later. Or, Saturday’s a-ha moment: visitors WANT to find the galleries, but they need help.

Maybe we (the district) take it for granted that everyone knows where everything is. After all, we all know where Rivet and Terra and Lindsay galleries are located. Right? So when we say “come visit the galleries during Gallery Hop,” it seems like a sincere enough invitation. And that the galleries are distributed over a mile-long stretch shouldn’t seem daunting. Right? Wrong. The reality, as I found on Saturday, is that thousands and thousands of visitors make their way for a monthly sojourn they thoroughly enjoy… but have no idea they haven’t quite maximized.

Well no more! The Short North is too much of a treasure to not explore it completely. Beginning with the March Hop, we will introduce the Gallery Hop Gallery Locator. This pocket fold map will be available online at shortnorth.org, at galleries, and at a variety of shops and restaurants. I’m very excited about its addition to the Hop experience. It will undoubtedly impact the experience (in a very good way) for many, many people.

Additionally, the district is in the process of designing way-finding kiosks that will help even the seasoned expert uncover heretofore overlooked district nuances. Look for more on that front in April/May.

And in the spirit of moving things right along, below is a roster of the galleries you’ll want to add to your March Hop experience. The list is organized from north, around High and Fifth, to south, across from the Convention Center. How many have you visited in the last 6 months?

Rivet • 1200 N. High (near Fifth and High)

Rebecca Ibel Gallery • 1055 N. High (at 3rd and High)

Roy G Biv Gallery • 997 N. High (at 2nd and High)

Lindsay Gallery • 986 N. High (near 2nd and High)

Ohio Art League • 954 N. High (near 2nd and High)

KIACA Gallery • 937 N. High (near 1st and High)

pm gallery • 726 N. High (at Buttles and High)

Mahan Gallery • 717 N. High (near Buttles and High)

Marcia Evans Art Consulting and Gallery • 8 E. Lincoln (Lincoln and High)

Palnik Cartoon Studio • 14 E. Lincoln (Lincoln and High)

Sharon Weiss Gallery • 20 E. Lincoln (Lincoln and High)

Sherrie Gallerie • 694 N. High (near Brickel and High)

Studios On High Gallery • 686 N. High (near Brickel and High)

The Art Exchange • 17 E. Brickel (at Brickel and High)

Kathryn Gallery • 642 N. High (at Russell and High)

Terra Gallery • 8 E. Poplar (at Poplar and High)

Elements of Art / Art Space • 507 N. High (near Swan and High)

Tags: Elements of Art / Art Space, Gallery Hop, Gallery Hop Gallery Locator, Kathryn Gallery, KIACA Gallery, Lindsay Gallery, Mahan Gallery, Marcia Evans, Ohio Art League, Palnik Cartoon Studio, pm gallery, Rebecca ibel, Rivet, Roy G Biv, Sharon Weiss Gallery, Sherrie Gallerie, Short North North, Studios On High Gallery, Terra Gallery, The Art Echange, way-finding kiosks