Seems like a fitting way to celebrate what’s supposed to be one last day of bridgelessness – travel around the peninsula to meet and buy from West Seattle artists! More than 90 are participating in the first-ever West Seattle Art Hop & Shop, which we’ve been telling you about for a while. Here’s the latest from organizers:

The West Seattle Art Hop & Shop is this Saturday, September 17th from 10 am to 5 pm! This new community-wide arts event features dozens and dozens of artists at more than stops all across West Seattle. On this self-guided, free tour, visitors will discover all kinds of local artists and makers as they hop and shop your way across the peninsula with the tour’s interactive map.

Tour organizers have featured each of this year’s registered artists over the past few weeks, introducing 74 artists and creatives on the tour’s Facebook and Instagram pages, and the tour has put together short videos featuring artists by neighborhood that will post leading up to the event. Artists include emerging and youth participants as well as well-established artists with impressive backgrounds.

“The response to this tour has been beyond enthusiastic,” said one of the volunteer organizers, Johanna Lindsay. “Artists are excited to share their work with the rest of the community, and we hope that people will take advantage of this opportunity to meet their neighbors and support our artist community.”

Many artists opened their doors – or driveways – and are hosting artists they have met through the tour’s artist and host matching aspect. Lorrie Brogan is one veteran artist who is opening her driveway to three artists, “I decided to host other artists as a way of meeting new people in the community and expanding my artist network. Besides, it’s always fun with more people.” High Point Commons Park and C & P Coffee are also hosting multiple artists, and a collective of artists from Pigeon Point have secured space at Pathfinder K-8 to show their work. Take the tour this weekend using the online interactive map to navigate as you go. For those who prefer a paper copy, here is our print-at-home map.

For more information and links to interactive and printable versions of our map, head over to https://wsartwalk.org/west-seattle-art-hop-shop. The West Seattle Art Hop & Shop is organized by an all-volunteer committee of artists and art lovers with generous support from West Seattle Art Walk and West Seattle Junction Association.