 |
| Street artists, Art Crawl |
One of the best things about exploring Hamilton is how
accessible that exploration has become.
Always able to come together as a community, Hamilton is host to a
monthly event called Art Crawl. Taking
place on the second Friday of every month, James Street North is the place to
be!
Hamilton is and always will be known as “Steel City” because
of its industrial past. And when the
city took an economic hit in the late 90s, you only went downtown if you
absolutely had to. Much of downtown was boarded up with closed
or failing businesses and focus turned to suburban expansions. That was the stuff that Hamilton horror
stories were made of.
But in the mid-2000s the downtown core enjoyed a bit of a
revival with artists, entrepreneurs and business owners flocking to the area
and working together to foster Hamilton’s creative spirit. Vacant warehouses became music venues. Abandoned storefronts became quirky cafes. And there is no shortage of bars, pop-up
galleries and vintage markets in the architecturally stunning area. Together the JSN (James St. North) community
gave Hamilton a reason to venture back into the heart of the city…and a damned
good one at that! Whether you’re into
music, art, or just on the hunt for a one-of-a-kind find, Hamilton’s Art Crawl
does not disappoint!
Because of my varying artistic interests, there is always enough
to see and do at Art Crawl! Every Art
Crawl is different, featuring countless artists and performers. These are a few of the spots I’d be sure to
check out:
 |
| This Ain't Hollywood |
This Ain’t Hollywod (live music venue)
345 James St. N
 |
| The Baltimore House |
The Baltimore House (bar/café/music venue)
43 King William
 |
| The Brain |
The Brain (bar/cafe/modern art museum/live music venue)
199 James St. N
 |
| White Elephant |
White Elephant (vintage boutique)
133 James St. N
 |
| Mulberry Street Coffeehouse |
Mulberry Street Coffeehouse (café/restaurant)
193 James
St. N
As surprising as the city that hosts it, Art Crawl creates a
welcoming atmosphere in which to get to know the artistic hub of Hamilton. The usual pretentions of the art world are noticeably
missing, creating an independent and artistic culture in the city that reflects
its very people. That’s Hamilton for
you…you never know what to expect, but you can trust that it’s going to be
good!
See you at the next one,
Larysa
For more information on Hamilton Art Crawl festivities, visit:
No comments:
Post a Comment