HooHa
History
The HooHa
started with a single home show I hosted in 2002. I'd just moved
to a house (the old Parasol
House) with an open floor plan – perfect to "set up shop"
for the holidays. so
I called a few artist friends and we had a Hooey Holiday Home
Show. After I realized how many artists were in the area, the
next year I contacted a few of them to see if they'd be interested
in having open studios or open houses all on the same weekend.
The
Old East End Art HooHa was born!.
Although the
event is still word-of-mouth, we continue to grow every year.
This year we've added two downtown Urbana galleries (Cinema Gallery
and Heartland Gallery), a home show (Jewels by Janice) and an
open studio (Dragonfly Press).
The Art HooHa was created as an opportunity for people in the
community to buy locally made artwork to give (or keep!) during
the holidays. While we are united by our common love of art and
hand-made things, each HooHa location operates independently,
handling its publicity (postcards and emails to our customers)
and hospitality (most locations serve holiday treats).
Now for
the big question: why “HooHa”? Because it's silly, and art should
be fun and enjoyable, and accessible to everyone.I want people
to come check out the studios, the artwork, and meet the
artists in a relaxed atmosphere, without feeling intimidated (and
how can you feel intimidated by a HooHa?). It's a great
activity to enjoy by yourself or with a group. Art doesn't have
to be taken so seriously all the time, come on over, have a cookie, browse, shop,
move on to the next spot. It's easy!
Jill Miller--HooeyBatiks
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