• Courtesy
• Artwork by Tonya Whitney

The surrealists invented a simple game called Exquisite Corpse, in which drawings lead to text that leads back to drawing. It's meant to unlock one's mind to new possibilities and wacky interpretations. That's a lot of what the South End Art Hop is about, too: Festivalgoers have no idea what they're going to find, but everything will take them to a new place. Surrealist-style, we explored a smattering of studios along the Art Hop route to give you a few jumping-off points for your own journey: what's out there and who's making it. So step out of your parlor, put on your birdcage hat and get hopping. Game on!

Syzygy Synergy

Syzygy Art Studio, 28 Howard St., Suite 108, tonyawhitney.com, @justinjatherton on Instagram

• Courtesy
• "Any Name She Tells You Is Probably a Lie" by Justin Atherton

Tonya Whitney and Justin Atherton make for unexpected studio mates at Syzygy Art Studio in the Vaults, home to a mix of artists and makers.

One wall of their space sports Whitney's whimsical body of work, including large, realistic colored-pencil drawings of foods such as spaghetti and meatballs. There are papier-mâché sculptures, like her "toe beans" series of cat paws growing from flowerpots. What look like moths pinned in shadow box frames are actually exquisite trompe-l'oeil cut-paper and paper-clay sculptures of the insects.

On another wall, Atherton's cartoon drawings of quirky, dark characters mingle with his paintings and digital prints, many of which wouldn't be out of place in a tarot deck: Red, black and white figures carry magical objects as they perform mystic rites.

Whitney used to occupy the space next door as the South End Arts + Business Association's 2021-22 artist-in-residence. When the studio with Atherton opened up in July, she jumped on it. The two artists had known each other since attending Colchester High School years ago. Atherton had been out of the art spotlight for a little while but decided, "Let's give it a go," he recalled. This will be his first Art Hop in 13 years.

Atherton and Whitney have been bouncing ideas off each other and getting their new digs ready for Art Hop visitors. They're thrilled to be part of a diverse studio community. "Everyone really loves to share their knowledge," Whitney said. "I've been able to learn a lot, and there's a lot to learn!"

— A.D.

Generative Thinking

Generator Makerspace, 40 Sears Ln., generatorvt.com, jonmichaelroberts.com

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• "Eclipse Facescape" installation by Jon Roberts

Jon Roberts fits right in at Generator Makerspace, where he will be the fall artist-in-residence. Roberts used Generator's plasma cutter to make steel sculptures that he installed beside Lake Champlain for the April eclipse. Their cutout vertical bands make them look almost like fences — until, seen from the correct angle, they resolve into faces. Phosphorescent paint made them glow in the eerie light.

That's just the kind of project that Generator makes possible, according to Roberts, who has maintained a small studio there for about three years and will have more space this fall. He uses the metal shop, woodshop and laser cutter, as well as the common areas for larger works. "I like that it has an open structure," he said of the makerspace. "If I have a question about, for instance, metal fabrication, there are people I can ask for free. It's a little bit like a grad school environment."

Roberts started out as a printmaker and was drawn to the surfaces of copper plates used for drypoint. He now paints on copper, creating haunting, dark landscapes with colors that resemble the metal's natural range of patinas.

Some of those works will be on view during Art Hop in a few places, including Generator. The makerspace will host a members' show of projects made there, ranging from clothing to 3D-printed objects. Outdoors, it will display "What Was It Before It Was Gone," a site-specific work by outgoing artist-in-residence Jen Berger.

— A.D.

Glass Houses

Burlington Community Glass Studio and E-1 Studio Collective, 416 Pine St., burlingtonglass.net

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• "Full Moon" by Terry Zigmund

Terry Zigmund started working with glass in her E-1 studio on Pine Street back in 2000 and officially opened Burlington Community Glass Studio in 2004. She's known for her wire-and-stained-glass tree pieces made to hang in windows, each one a bit different from the next. "Part of what's fun about these for me," Zigmund said, "is just the infinite variety of colors and textures and combinations I can do with them."

Visitors may be less familiar with the "community" aspect of Zigmund's work. One of her projects, the Mosaic Abortion Quilt, is installed on the building's exterior. Zigmund hosted an event where participants chose colors for their mosaic triangle based on whether they, a friend or a family member had had an abortion; together, the triangles make a kind of quilt.

The artist is planning a similar community project with the nonprofit Downtown Winooski; each square in that piece will signal participants' relationship to the city. "I have lived in Winooski for 25 years," Zigmund said, "and so to have that kind of engagement with my community is really, really cool."

Zigmund clearly likes working with others. The E-1 studio has expanded over the past two decades to include a retail space, a large central work area and individual studios for eight other artists. Caleb Bjork, a former student of Zigmund's, also makes stained glass. Visitors will also encounter Sarah Rosedahl's chicken illustrations, Jessica Cedergren LaBonte's pottery, and works by Emily Moore, Rodney Lowe, Phoebe Hazen Low, Susan Parente and Char Seeley.

— A.D.

A Light Touch

Clay Mohr Lighting and Rory Pots, 257 Pine St., claymohrlighting.com, rorypots.com

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• Haystack lamp by Clay Mohrman

Tucked away in the back lot of 257 Pine Street is a shared artistic alcove for ceramics and woodwork. The space is split by Clay Mohrman and Rory Shamlian, two independent designers who moved in last September. Now, the former yoga studio is home to their respective businesses: Clay Mohr Lighting and Rory Pots.

The artists' works literally illuminate the studio entrance: Mohrman's meticulously crafted wooden light fixtures and Shamlian's hand-molded stoneware lamps. To the right is Shamlian's studio, its tall shelves packed with her individually thrown mugs, flower-filled vases, pots and other ceramics.

Mohrman's studio, to the left of the entryway, is a woodworker's paradise — full of thick pieces of lumber, with dozens of hand tools mounted on the walls. Mohrman keeps his space clean: It doesn't even smell of wood.

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• Ceramics by Rory Shamlian

"Sharing this space with Clay is amazing," Shamlian said. "It's absolutely integral as an artist to have other people to workshop ideas with and talk through the mechanics of being a lighting designer."

While they haven't officially collaborated, Mohrman and Shamlian delight in how their creative processes bounce off each other.

"Both of our work focuses on the texture of the material, the way it behaves, and that drives the design of a lot of our pieces," Mohrman said. "We like working together. It's nice to be a part of this small community of designers."

— I.D.

Rubber Stampede

Teresa Celemin, Green House Annex, 180 Flynn Ave., teresacelemin.com

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• "Ginny" by Teresa Celemin

Art Hoppers will follow a winding gravel road off Flynn Avenue to Teresa Celemin's studio. Her pink sign sits atop a door that hasn't had many visitors — in fact, Art Hop will be the Hinesburg resident's first open studio since she set up shop in May.

Celemin's work takes many forms, from rubber-stamped prints to wooden cutouts. Oil portraits of neckless, big-headed people hang beside painted renditions of trail cams capturing animals in the night. "I go through art phases like a kid in graduate school," joked the artist, who trained at New York City's Parsons School of Design.

"Inspiration is everywhere for me," Celemin said. "Being able to be open, fearless, and not worrying about what other people will think or whether they'll buy something is such an important hurdle for an artist to leap."

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• "They Them" by Teresa Celemin

Two years ago, Celemin's mixed-media installation "Billy Bounty Hunter's Trophy Wall: Abortion Heads of Texas" won the top prize in the Art Hop juried show. While at first glance, the papier-mâché heads were almost cartoonish, the installation was a dark commentary on our post-Roe future.

Celemin drew the models for the rubber-stamped portraits that she plans to feature during this year's Art Hop from her grandmother's 1950s yearbooks. She doesn't think twice about investing creative effort into an idea that comes to her as a whim.

"I'm so excited to connect with all the visitors," Celemin said. "I like to work alone, but my work is about being human, and those connections are so important to me as an artist."

— I.D.