The 11th annual Art Hop was held Friday September 12th and Saturday September 13th. The Art Hop brought area artists together with South End businesses to generate a communion between Burlington citizenry and the art community. The Art Hop Program aims to raise awareness about emerging artists by giving them much-needed exposure in venues such as back-alley studios, empty warehouses, and local businesses. The Art Hop also welcomes established artists. Major sponsors included Investors Corporation of Vermont, National Life Insurance Group, and Burlington Subaru-Hyundai. I attended Friday night’s events and festivities, and I must say that I think the program was a great success. When I arrived around 8 PM things were in full swing, and everyone was in high spirits. Considering the abundance of fabulous artwork, not to mention free food and drink, this was not surprising. I helped myself to a delicious slice of Great Harvest rosemary bread, and went on my merry way to several shows at Pine Street Square and in The Alley. Recycle North featured beautiful hand-blown glass by David Davidson. My favorite works at The Green Door Studio were the Elisabeth Howland pieces. Her photography and collages deal with American society, and are rich in color. Scape 11 was my favorite – large in scope and dazzling in color. Lauren B. Brownell’s 3-D pieces at Creations in Stone were not to be missed. Over at Arts & Giraffes, I found myself staring at Elizabeth Bunsen’s colorful posters incorporating holistic healing modalities such as Bikram yoga. My favorite was called Grace, and featured the word written backward on a vibrant red background. I returned home feeling happy and cultured, as well as inspired do a little painting myself. My painting was pretty cool, but okay- not as good as the Art Hop artists.