First Fridays Art Walk Takes a Holiday Break for Labor Day Weekend
Posted by Christina in Uncategorized on August 12th, 2011
Organizers and participating venues of Richmond’s First Fridays Art Walk decided today to postpone the September 2 art walk since the next event will fall on Labor Day Weekend.
“As in years past, we’ve decided to take September 2nd off since the next art walk will fall on a holiday weekend. Slower summer months offer the businesses and organizations time to take much deserved vacations and tend to the necessary annual building repair work that the galleries require. A break also seemed practical in light of the fact that we have seen an increase in crime in the area after First Fridays’ hours,” states Christina Newton, founder and director of Curated Culture.
Newton continued by saying that, “The outpouring of community support for our program has been overwhelming and appreciated. We encourage the public to show their support of Downtown every day of the week, not just once a month though. First Fridays is a unique way to take in all that Downtown has to offer, but our many diverse businesses, galleries, shops, cultural venues, restaurants, and accommodations are open daily, and need our support daily.”
Organizational planning for the forthcoming 11th season of First Fridays Art Walk will continue as planned over the remainder of August and September. Assisting Curated Culture in this effort are representatives from the participating venues, sponsors, and city officials. Details of the coming season will be announced when determined.
First Fridays Opens with Bold New Exhibitions in 2011
Posted by Christina in Uncategorized on January 7th, 2011
Following holiday festivities, January can be a slow and dreary month, even after all the celebrations. But the attitude that seems to be prevailing this new year is positive and hopeful, even if we’re only ‘hoping’ to be back at home on our holiday breaks. And as if to match the excitement of the new decade, many Richmond galleries will feature bold new exhibitions this month, which makes me hopeful that this year will be one of fresh new works.
The first Art Walk of 2011 is on Friday, January 7 and will feature a variety of exceptional gallery exhibitions, dining specials, shopping opportunities, live music, a theatre performance, and more. There are four stand-out shows though that are fascinating and beautiful and deserve a closer look as you make your way to First Fridays or to Downtown throughout the month.
1708 Gallery (319 West Broad St) is one of Broad Street’s anchor galleries and a leader in Richmond’s art scene. The gallery’s presentation of work by nationally recognized artist Matthew Friday is a coup for the gallery and a unique experience for us. His installation, The Liberty of Empire will transform their expansive space into a “laboratory” that calls on the public to take part. As someone interested in how history can be contested and reinterpreted over time, he compares contemporary societal and political beliefs with the economic, environmental and cultural theories of “Founding Father” Thomas Jefferson, which have become forgotten and in some cases eliminated from historical reference.
In this multi-media, site-specific exhibition, Friday will layer diagrams of the public’s input, which will be captured and drawn using specifically designed computer software, over a mural of Jefferson’s architectural drawings of Monticello. This “utopian” visual foundation will slowly and eventually be obscured throughout the month by these contemporary observations, creating an ever changing installation.
You can learn more about this fascinating project from the artist himself at 7:00pm on January 7 as he discusses his work during the First Fridays opening that will take place from 6:00pm-10:00pm. Go to thewebsite to share your views or contribute via an on-site computer. The Liberty of Empire will be on view through February 12, so there’s ample time to take part in this experience.
Gallery 5’s (200 West Marshall St) next exhibition features a range of artists working in media that has been commonly used for art making but who have taken these traditional materials to new heights. Papier-Mâchete: A National Juried Exhibition Surveying Innovations in Paper & Fiber Media features artists from across the country and who were selected by well-known local artists and curators, Amie Oliver, Richard Waller, and Aaron McIntosh. Learn who the award winning artists are and discover these exceptional works that the gallery describes as, ‘exploring the limitless range found in these ubiquitous materials’ at the First Fridays opening reception from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Keeping with the theme of exceptional works on view this month, Ghostprint Gallery (220 West Broad St) extends its mixed media show by Buffalo, New York artist Peter Fowler, whose aptly named exhibition Illuminations features colorful and expressionistic paintings highlighted with metal foil or silver paint. Fowler’s works draw on his experiences living in Seville, Spain for over a decade, such as café scenes, landscapes, and portraits, which evoke elements of bygone days. Fowler’s inspiring show continues Ghostprint’s reputation for presenting some of Richmond’s best work and can be seen through January 29 as well as during First Fridays Art Walk from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
My last favorite is at a gallery that may not be as familiar, but should. The new Gallery at UNOS (700 North 4th St) is located at the impressive Headquarters of United Network for Organ Sharing and is the innovative effort of well-known Richmonder, Lisa Schaffner. Gracing this sleek space in January is the captivating work of fine art photographer David Everette and mixed media works by talented members of the transplant community. The James and Assorted Wanderings features Everette’s passion for nature, which often leads him to shoot our majestic James River and surrounding landscapes of Virginia. Rounding out the show is a selection of works by multi-talented artists who work at UNOS, LifeNet Health, and VCU Health Systems/MCV Hospitals. Open from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. during First Fridays, the Gallery at UNOS is the perfect spot to start your Art Walk off.
We look forward to seeing you at First Fridays Art Walk – one of Richmond’s Best Events of 2010 - as named by our friends here at Richmond.com. A happy and healthy new year to you all!
This article was originally written for Richmond.com.
New Year’s Resolutions
Posted by Christina in Uncategorized on December 30th, 2010
As we near the end of 2010, we look back and recall the hard work it’s taken to get to where we are today and all of the people who have helped to make First Fridays Art Walk such as success. We celebrate our 10th Season thanks to your support, shared vision and encouragement.
We’ve grown our program from those first 9 galleries and museums to more than 40 diverse participating sites, attracting thousands of visitors to Downtown every month and receiving coverage in national and local publications. This year started with Style Weekly recognizing those involved with First Fridays as their 2009 “Richmonders of the Year” and we close the year with Richmond.com naming First Fridays as one of the Best Events of 2010. We’ve certainly exceeded our expectations from those early days of just hoping to attract a few more people into our galleries.
In 2011, we proudly continue our support and promotion of the wide range of organizations and creative businesses that now call Downtown Richmond home. Art galleries, museums, theatres, cultural sites, restaurants, retail shops, hotels, designers, architects, studios, offices, unique living spaces and so many more fill Downtown and are at the forefront of Richmond’s thriving creative community.
We hope you’ll join us in our New Year’s Resolutions and support our Downtown community more often and not just on “First Fridays.” I usually balk at trends, but I’m wholeheartedly behind “Shop Local”, and I hope you will be too! Just think about your favorite Richmond spots and then think about what it would be like to lose them, and how it would affect our community. Keeping it local creates jobs and diversity of business, supports your friends and neighbors, and makes our community unique, while those dollars are usually reinvested back into the community. Those working hard to revitalize Downtown need your support every day of the week.
On behalf of our board, we hope you will not only continue to support us and our partners in making Richmond the truly great place that it is, but also our amazing Sponsors who make our work in the community possible.
University of Richmond
Venture Richmond
Richmond CenterStage Foundation
The Jefferson Hotel
Richmond.com
Style Weekly
MetroRMedia
Many thanks, and best wishes to you and yours for a happy and healthy year ahead,
Christina
PS. If you appreciate the work Curated Culture does to inspire economic and community development through promotion of the arts and culture, I hope you’ll make a donation today. Every dollar helps!
First Fridays Voted One of the Best Events of 2010!
Posted by Christina in Uncategorized on December 23rd, 2010
We loved the great folks at Richmond.com already, but they just got moved to the top of our favorites list with their announcement today that First Fridays Art Walk has been named one of the Best Events of 2010!
This is a huge honor because there are so many amazing things that happen in RVA, but I’m especially excited to have our program placed alongside such great events as (and my personal favorites) the grand reopening of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond Folk Festival, and Greek Festival.
Read who else was selected, and who got the “Worse” prize here.
Happy New Year to Us!
Happy Creative Holidays!
Posted by Christina in Special Events at First Fridays on December 3rd, 2010
The date on the calendar and the cold temperature outside makes it ever so clear that it’s December. But knowing that it’s Friday does lighten the news. First Fridays in fact! Plus the holiday season officially kicks off tonight as the Downtown buildings and the popular decorations around the James Center and Shockoe Slip are set ablaze. (The buzz on Twitter today makes it seem that no one’s working and eager to get out on the town.) As luck has it, our Art Walk coincides as does a number of other cool holiday events, so you can be sure it’ll be crazy and festive!
I wrote a quirky, more personal article for this month’s piece in Richmond.com that I hope you’ll take a look at, and like. It’ll give you a glimpse at some of the really cool events happening this evening, like a FREE rehearsal viewing of the Richmond Ballet’s legendary Nutcracker (with free wine tasting y’all!), CenterStage’s and Hilton Garden Inn Downtown’s holiday decorated windows that remind us of the iconic Thalhimer’s and Miller & Rhodes department store windows of decades past, and the numerous small works shows and crafts vendors.
Since there’s too much to do in one night, you’ll have to promise me that you’ll come back Downtown to enjoy some of these events because they’ll be happening throughout December and some even into January. For that matter, the beautiful holiday lights that outline the office buildings in the business district will stay on until Valentine’s Day…that’s why they’re called “Love Lights”! It’s nice to know that something as small as these lighted borders and decorated wicker reindeer can make you feel a little happier and spread a bit more cheer.
We’ll hopefully spread a little cheer as we collect canned and boxed goods for a food drive for the Central Virginia Food Bank. I’ll see you later at the Visual Art Studio, at 208 West Broad Street between 7-9pm. If you can’t make it out tonight or forget your goods, there will be boxes at the Christmas Parade on Saturday as well as many sites all around town. Just check the Food Bank’s site for more info on how you can help. It’s more important than ever to help our community be hunger-free this holiday.
Thank you for a decade of creativity and community. I wish you the happiest of holidays and a better year ahead for you and yours.
Christina
Holiday Food Drive Coming December 3rd!
Posted by Christina in Special Events at First Fridays on November 29th, 2010
It’s been a while since I last posted and I’m sorry. Hopefully you’ve found us at our website and through Facebook and Twitter, not to mention at www.Richmond.com where we have an online guide and I write a monthly article. This fall has been incredibly busy thanks to the amount of work required to kick off another season. (Our 10th in fact!) We manage a variety of projects behind-the-scenes of First Fridays from securing sponsors, working with almost 40 diverse Downtown venues, to organizing the season kick off event, to planning and implementing a wealth of publicity efforts.
But even though we’ve been busy, it’s still hard to believe that it’ll be December in only a couple days. But before we say goodbye to 2010, we’ve got the final Art Walk of the year approaching December 3rd, and I hope to see you there!
As you plan your First Fridays route, bring along a can or two of non-perishable food for our upcoming Food Drive for the Central Virginia Food Bank. We will be collecting items at 208 West Broad Street – next door to Visual Art Studio. (It’s where our season kick off concert was located, if you came in October.) Here’s a convenient list from the Food Bank of what items they need for their clients.
Here’s a little about the Food Bank from their website. I hope you’ll join us and make a contribution and help provide needed, nutritious food for those in need this holiday season.
The Central Virginia Food Bank (CVFB) serves 31 counties and 5 cities, but approximately half of those agencies are located in the Richmond Metro area. Recipients of CVFB food and programs include, but is not limited to:
The Children, The Elderly, The Disabled, The Newly Unemployed, The Mentally Challenged, The Homeless, The Working Poor, Battered Women, Victims of Natural Disasters, Single-Parent Families
Of critical importance to the CVFB is stopping childhood hunger. Poverty and food insecurity negatively influence the diet and health of many low-income children. See our Kids Cafe page for more information on childhood hunger and our efforts to combat it.
Website Makeover
Posted by Christina in Uncategorized on September 22nd, 2010
Hey Everyone,
Just a quick not to let you know that we’re working hard on getting our www.FirstFridaysRichmond.com website updated and spruced up with a bit of a new look. I know you’re all eager to see what’s new for First Fridays this coming 10TH SEASON but you’ll have to wait just a little longer. Check the site around September 29/30. We’ve got almost 40 venues participating so there’s a ton of information to add and edit.
We appreciate your patience and look forward to seeing you on October 1st for our season launch!
Spend Your Labor Day With Us!
Posted by Christina in Uncategorized on September 2nd, 2010
September is an odd month in the First Fridays season. It’s not yet fall, the heat is usually still hanging around, there could be a chance of a Hurricane or at least a savage storm, and of course the Art Walk always falls on Labor Day Weekend, which encourages folks to head out of town for that last summer splash. Seems like we’ve got too many things working against us to have a successful event. But that’s just not the case (well, as long as Hurricane Earl doesn’t come ashore.)
In fact, the September 3 First Fridays Art Walk has some amazing events scheduled, making staying in town, or visiting Richmond for a long weekend, a pretty awesome plan for the holiday.
First, the good news is that only a handful of First Fridays venues will be closed due to the holiday (Score!) Our website has all the details of what exhibitions are on view, what activities are being planned, what dining specials will be served, and which sites are taking a break this month. www.FirstFridaysRichmond.com
Citizen Artist Panel Talk at the University of Richmond Downtown Campus (626 E. Broad St) is at the top of the list of things to experience this month. This intriguing sounding event will bring together local artists like Noah Scalin, Tanja Softic, and Daniel Custodio to discuss how social change can be effected through creativity. It will be interesting to hear from the six artists working in a variety of media on how to impact Richmond for the better. The event is at 5:30 and free, but seats need to be reserved at http://downtown.richmond.edu/citizenartist.html
“Giving back” is possibly the theme for September’s Art Walk. Our newest venue, UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing), is 
presenting a 30-year retrospective of works by Dr. W. Baxter Perkinson, Jr. for the Grand Opening of their new Gallery space. Perkinson is kind of a local legend for his philanthropic and creative talents, having painted nearly 15,000 watercolors for charity, and this will be the first time works spanning his career will be on display. Check out this latest addition to Jackson Ward between 5pm-10pm, and be sure not to miss their tranquil garden and Donor Memorial Wall that’s an oasis in the City. UNOS is at the corner of 4th and Jackson Streets and offers free parking.
While you’re in Jackson Ward, head to Gallery 5 for an assortment of musical offerings. From 7pm-11pm, you can enjoy a variety of live music from local and international performers and the exhibition Self Titled that includes original artwork from independently produced records and CDs. Inside the gallery is the socially conscious Lucent Space, which will host the University of Richmond’s Community Gamelan (orchestra) Gamelan Raga Kusuma. On view throughout the month will be photography as well as field recordings and video from the group’s travel to Bali and Java this summer, while the ensemble will perform Friday night. It’s exciting to have this ensemble back to First Fridays, so if you haven’t experienced Indonesian music before, this is a not-to-be-missed event!
While we may be longing for summer fun, fall fashions make the (eventual) cooler weather worth the change. It also means sales! Quirk is celebrating their 5th Anniversary, (Happy Birthday!!) and we’re getting the presents! Don’t miss Quirk’s Super Sale during First Fridays or throughout the week to see what goodies are in the Shop. Katie and her team score amazing finds during their buying trips, bringing back gorgeous jewelry, neat household items, funky back to school supplies, and all around cool stuff to make Richmond, well cooler. Quirk also is packed this month with new exhibitions by, Vadis Turner, Daniel Calder, and Cindy Myron.
And is there a better way to appreciate cooler weather than to enjoy a glass of wine in a luxurious courtyard? I think not. You can do just that at the lovely and historic Linden Row Inn. Opening this week is the latest installation by curator Amie Oliver for 1708 Gallery’s satellite exhibition program. Ironisence features works by numerous artist members, inspired by the words, irony and sincerity, as coined by art critic Jerry Salz. So grab a drink and look around. The satellite shows have been superb and brought the space alive like never before. Linden Row is located at the corner of 1st and Franklin Streets.
Happy Holiday Everyone. I hope there’s no laboring in your weekend!
“Paint Outside the Box” Videos from August 6
Posted by Christina in Special Events at First Fridays on August 9th, 2010
Hey Everyone!
In case you missed the cool event “Paint Outside the Box”, check out these cool videos created by the amazing young videographers of Richmond CenterStage’s Education Department.
PATB was organized by ART180 and brought together almost 100 young artists from 5 Richmond area Boys & Girls Clubs and held at Richmond CenterStage and during our First Fridays Art Walk on August 6, 2010. It was a hot day but the kids and artist leaders made it through the day and created some fantastic “mobile murals’ out of what were boring old recycling containers.
We’re all looking forward to seeing these inspiring works of public art around town soon!
‘Paint Outside the Box’ at First Fridays Aug 6th
Posted by Christina in Special Events at First Fridays on August 5th, 2010
*This article first appeared on Richmond.com ~ Our fantastic Online Sponsor!
http://www2.richmond.com/content/2010/aug/05/party-street-first-fridays-art-walk/
August can traditionally be one of the slower months of “First Fridays” due to summer vacations, competition with outdoor events, or gallery owners closing and devoting time to sprucing up their spaces. (Visitors may not realize it, but by the end of an exhibition season art gallery walls have endured dozens of nail holes and multiple coats of Spackle and paint and are in serious need of a really good repair.)
But as we near the end of the 9th Season of our First Fridays Art Walk program, we see just as much energy as any other month devoted to bringing lively activities to the Art Walk. In fact, the August 6 Art Walk will feature a major creative effort thanks to a new partnership between Richmond CenterStage Foundation, ART 180, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond, and Ace Recycling.
Young artists of ART 180
Paint Outside the Box is going to bring a huge creative party to East Broad Street, between 6th and 7th Streets behind the CenterStage facility, as almost 100 young artists from five Boys & Girls Clubs beautify construction debris recycling containers donated by Ace Recycling. These young artists will be working with local artists and seasoned ART 180 program leaders: Sukenya Best, Rick Cassidy, Robert Cataldo, Hamilton Glass, and Jaffray Witherow in the creation of these brightly colored “mobile murals”, which will eventually grace work sites around the state. Paint Outside the Box is a powerful collaborative effort to promote public art, the importance of recycling, as well as ART 180’s important mission to enrich the lives of young people through the arts.
When asked about their involvement in this unique project, Jay Smith, spokesman for Richmond CenterStage said, “Paint Outside the Box is a perfect fit with our mission of promoting the arts in the region. Bringing kids from around the Greater Richmond area to partner with local artists is exactly what we had in mind when we developed our arts education program. ART 180 is to be commended for bringing this project to life; and tying it to First Fridays with live entertainment by the No BS! Brass Band will be the perfect cap to a great day,”
The public is invited to witness the containers’ creative transformation into mobile works of art on Friday, August 6, 2010 anytime between 9:30am to 5:00pm, and to help celebrate the project’s completion between 5:00pm to 7:00pm. Free refreshments and live entertainment by Richmond’s wildly popular jazz brass ensemble No BS! Brass Band will jump-start the August 6 First Fridays.
And to make heading Downtown ever so easy, visitors can enjoy complimentary valet parking at the nearby Hilton Garden Inn, located between 5th and 6th Streets, just by mentioning “ART 180”!
Learn more at: