ArtsHop set for this weekend on Anna Maria Island

The Anna Maria Island artsHop celebrated its 10th anniversary last year. This year, the Studio on Gulf and Pine will kick off artsHop by celebrating its own 10th anniversary.

This year’s artsHop gets going Thursday and runs through the weekend. It features two gallery walks, one in Holmes Beach and one in Bradenton Beach, and the popular “Symphony on the Sand” concert from the Anna Maria Island Concert Chorus & Orchestra (AMICCO).

The 11th annual artsHop doesn’t vary from the formula that has made it so popular over the years. It’s a free event (although a couple of events within artsHop are ticketed) that shows off the rich arts scene across the island, but the Studio on Gulf and Pine has developed a project called 10byTen that should make its artsHop exhibit something special.

“It’s our 10th year, and we wanted to do something to celebrate,” said Joyce Karp, the director of the studio and a co-founder of the Anna Maria artsHop. “So we’ve challenged artists and community members to create 10-inch-by-10-inch works of art.”

Interested area artists got identical 10-by-10 surfaces from the studio and were invited to use it in any way they wanted.

About 100 of the resulting works are already on display at the gallery, and the public can check them out now at 10101 Gulf Dr., Anna Maria, or online at studioatgulfandpine.com.

If you like what you see, you can buy the works when the artsHop gets going on Thursday.

The evening starts at 6 p.m. with live music, wine and light appetizers by the Sandbar restaurant, then moves to the Studio and Gulf and Pine. The 10-by-10 works will be on sale for $75. The exhibit also includes 5-inch-by-5-inch works by children for $25 each.

Other events slated for the artsHop weekend include the Holmes Beach gallery walk, 5-7:30 p.m. Friday in downtown Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach’s Gallery Walk, noon-5 p.m. Saturday on Bridge Street. Many of the galleries will serve refreshments, and some will feature live music from area performers.

For those whose taste don’t run toward the visual arts, artsHop also includes a production of Ken Ludwig’s comedy “The Game’s Afoot” at Island Players, 10009 Gulf Dr., Anna Maria, just across the street from the Studio on Gulf and Pine.

The most popular event of the Anna Maria Island artsHop is likely to be AMICCO’s Symphony on the Sand, which runs 4:30 to 7:30 p.m Saturday on the beach at Coquina Gulfside Park, 2650 Gulf Dr. S., Bradenton Beach.

A lot of people choose to enjoy the concert of classical and popular music for free from the beach or the neighboring park, but for an enhanced experience, VIP tickets – which include food – are available for $125, seating (including two drinks is available for $50 and blanket seating with a great view of the stage is available for $20.

Details: Nov. 9-12, locations around Anna Maria Island. Free, except for some ticketed events. culturalconnectionsami.com

This story was originally published November 8, 2017 at 2:03 PM with the headline "ArtsHop set for this weekend on Anna Maria Island."