Crawl Through Creativity in the Streets of West Eugene

Sculpture: Jud Turner’s sculpture of John Harmlet, the last P’squosa tribal chief. Photo by Jud Turner.

Saturday, Sept. 6, is the second First Saturday Warehouse District Art Hop and Bike Crawl, a new, all-day art showcase designed to highlight the creative and community-oriented businesses in west Eugene. The community is encouraged to hop on a bike or carpool through a variety of events, including scavenger hunts, live music, exhibits, collaborations and more. There will be a guided bike tour led by Waffles Hidalgo, owner of Trainsong Hairshop, one of the participating businesses. The crawl consists of about 10 to 15 artists’ studios, breweries, cafes and local businesses that have art shows and musicians at every location. Sarah Bush, the founder of the Art Hop, says, “It is meant to be this connection between community and artists. A place for people to find art demystified and see the spaces that art is created in and connect more personally with the artists, maybe learn some things and maybe take a class.” Most of the businesses and participating artists have been in Eugene for around a decade, so the event highlights talent that has been shaping community culture for years. Jud Turner and his wife, Renee Mahni, are sculptors and the owners of The Oblivion Gallery in West Eugene. Turner was asked to create a sculpture for the Tribal Council in Wenatchee, Washington. The commemorative piece, which depicts the last P’squosa tribal chief, John Harmlet, on horseback, crafted from found and repurposed objects, will be on display in The Oblivion Gallery during the Art Hop before it gets shipped north. “It was really cool to be able to create an opportunity for artists that we are curious about and like their work so that we can support them on that side, too,” Turner says. Every month, the Art Hop will feature an afterparty at several rotating venues to end the night on a high note. Bush says, “You’re meant to hang out and get to know people. It’s not just a shopping experience, it’s also a community activity.”

The First Saturday Warehouse District Art Hop and Bike Crawl is noon to 9 pm Saturday, Sept. 6, at the Warehouse District in west Eugene, around the 500 block of Commercial Street. Free. For the map of the crawl and more information, visit WarehouseDistrictArtHop on Instagram and Facebook.

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