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Promoting your First Friday Event

First Friday PDX has a number of tools available to help artists and galleries promote their First Friday events. Here are a few east ways we can can publicize your opening.

Submit an opening or onetime event

First Friday PDX maintains and promotes a monthly listing of First Friday shows, openings, and events. This listing is updated every month and includes every show that is submitted to us. Additionally, we send out a monthly newsletter featuring selected shows and other First Friday updates.

We do our best to make the list as complete as possible, but to be sure that your event is included (and the we get the details correct!) please send show details to Info@FirstFridayPDX.org or use our online event submission form.

If you decide to mail us information directly for promotion, please don’t forget to include information about the event name, location, time, brief description, and an image.

You can submit an event either through our website, or by mailing us. We will promote events we receive this way through all our available outlets.

Join the First Friday map and gallery listing

If you are hosting events every First Friday, we would love to include you as a permanent location on the First Friday map!

To be added to the roster contact us with the following information:

  • Gallery or venue name
  • A brief description of the space
  • First Friday hours
  • Address
  • Contact information

In order to provide a positive experience for visitors however, it is important that we keep our listing up-to-date, and that art galleries on the First Friday map are consistently open during their posted hours. If your information needs to be updated, or you decide to stop opening on First Fridays, please let us know! We will remove locations that no longer appear to be participating.

The First Friday map includes both monthly events submitted to us on a one-time basis, and a permanent roster of participating galleries.

Connect on Social Media

First Friday PDX uses Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Meetup. If you connect with us, we can be on the lookout when you post news, events and updates. You can also tag events with #firstfridaypdx to reach potential visitors and patrons.

Publish Events with First Friday PDX on Facebook

When creating an event on Facebook you can make First Friday PDX a co-host to have the event appear on the main First Friday Facebook page and reach a larger audience. First Friday PDX will not make any edits or changes to your event.

When creating your event make First Friday PDX a co-host and it will automatically add your event to our featured events AND post the event to our main newsfeed.
Announce participation in First Friday PDX

On your website, blog, newsletter or other social media announce that you are a part of First Friday PDX and link to our website or Facebook page.

Once you plan on opening for First Friday on a recurring basis we recommend repeating this kind of post at least a few times a month because repetition tends to draw more visitors to your posts and over time this will create a buzz!

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Time to Shine – Artist and Art Space **Opportunity**

Sara Burbidge/totallyhyena.com

First Friday PDX is excited to announce a special February First Friday Light Walk in collaboration with the Portland Winter Light Festival! The event will take place on Friday, Feb. 2nd, 2018. The affair will illuminate local art through light art exhibitions, installations and live performance. Featuring more than 100 artists, and attracting more than 40,000 visitors, the annual Portland Winter Light Festival is one of the cities most dynamic and engaging art events. To help facilitate this collaborative opportunity, First Friday is offering two ways to become involved:

  • Independently create or host a light themed exhibit, installation, or performer.
  • Be matched with and host a local light artist or or performer (or for artists: gallery) from the First Friday PDX roster

Participating galleries and studios will become a featured stop on the Light Walk and special Light Bike Ride and receive publicity and visitors from both First Friday PDX and the Portland Winter Light Festival.

Contact us at info@FirstFridayPDX.org

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Costumes, cats and bikes OH MY!

First Friday PDX Art Ride October 2017

Come out this First Friday for festive fun

First Friday PDX – Portland’s Eastside Artwalk and The Street Trust– Women Bike invite you to join us on a Night of the Living Dead Artist Art Ride. Ride participants are encouraged to come dressed as a dead artist. The event will take place on Friday, Oct. 6, 2017 at 5:30 p.m. The first gallery and meeting location will be at Splendorporium, 3421 SE 21st Ave., Portland, OR 97202.

The ride will commence from the starting location at 6:00 p.m. Participating locations include: Splendorporium, East Creative Collective, AFRU Gallery and Redux Gallery and Boutique.

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4 Ways to Promote With First Friday PDX

Artists and galleries looking to promote an upcoming art event opening on First Friday can be assisted using a few simple social media tips. In order to bring a larger audience to your space and generate more awareness of your creativity and news a consistent approach to social media and forming alliances in the community are needed.

Connect on social media outlets

First Friday PDX uses Facebook, Twitter, Meetup and soon we will add Instagram. If you connect with us, we can be on the lookout when you post news, events and updates. Check out our gallery and artist page to see other businesses in the community from which social media alliances can be formed.

Announce participation in First Friday PDX

On your website, blog, newsletter or other social media announce that you are a part of First Friday PDX and link to our website or Facebook page.

Once you plan on opening for First Friday on a recurring basis we recommend repeating this kind of post at least a few times a month because repetition tends to draw more visitors to your posts and over time this will create a buzz!  

Use Google to search for instructions on how to tag and share using social media platforms. Below we have listed instructions for Facebook.

publish Events and Updates

Use your Facebook page to create an event with your contact information (include your address and First Friday open hours.) This provides our First Friday PDX page with a link to promote you. 

Along with the show opening details, add a short description to the event about what you are currently working on and a brief bio/about you section. Share this event with your friends, family and fellow artists. 

When creating your event make First Friday PDX a co-host and it will automatically add your event to our featured events AND post the event to our main newsfeed.

Another way to promote is to share your event as a post to the First Friday PDX page and we can share your event to our main feed.

Submit news updates

We write a press release about First Friday happenings and submit it to many local press outlets on a monthly basis. Our press deadline is the 17th of each month. Most of the time we can include your event or news update if submitted in time. If you plan on participating in First Friday on a recurring basis we can announce you as a newcomer on our social media outlets. The best way to submit your information is to email us with your photos and press releases and be sure to add our press email press@firstfridaypdx.org to your mailing list .

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Printed map of First Friday PDX locations now available

Tamara from Redux has published a printed map to First Friday galleries and her favorite local spots. The map is free to First Friday PDX attendees.

Local businesses can pick up maps for sale in bulk at her shop located @ 811 E. Burnside #116, Portland, Ore. 97214. Shop hours are Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The prices below reflect the cost of creation.

$10 for 25, $18 for 50, $26 for 75, $35 for 100, and 35 cents each for more than 100.