First Friday New Art November Events

First Friday is almost here again! We’re happy to welcome two new galleries for November, with great looking shows at The Angry Florist, and Neighbors Taproom. There are also some exciting new openings at Sidestreet Arts and Afru Gallery, open studios at East Creative Collective, and an odd themed show at Splendorporium.

Don’t forget to let us know if there are any First Friday events we’ve missed!

Look forward to seeing you on Friday,

Noah Alexander Isaac Stein
First Friday PDX President

IN-PERSON EVENTS

ALL OF YOU FLOWERS VIEWING ART | THE ANGRY FLORIST

I’ve made plans for your Friday night this week-start out by visiting The Angry Florist’s First Friday event featuring some really incredible artists. I’m spoiled in being able to view their lovely work daily amongst the flowers – and on Friday the shop will be open an extra hour for you to do so too!

4 PM – 8 PM @ 401b NE 28th Ave Portland, OR 97232

EVERYDAY OBJECTS | NEIGHBORS TAPROOM

For me, the most fascinating aspect of human existence lies in what we create, the EVERYDAY OBJECTS. It is these materials and structures that reveal our desires, our necessity, our creativity, and our capability. Equally fascinating is the tremendous diversity we then display in our engagement with these constructed objects. We sometimes hold dear and embrace our creations for decades or centuries. Or, we may neglect them, unceremoniously, leaving it to the artist or curious passerby to rediscover and redefine our relationship to these forgotten structures as they age, weather, or crack. As one of these curious-type people, I find myself drawn to the colors and craftsmanship, the scars and wrinkles. Although such details and long-lost whispers may go unnoticed by many, to me they exude shimmering glimpses of depth, history, and meaning I can not help but explore, photograph, and share.

“Kelly Delay’s perfectly composed photographs show the beauty in decay and the dignity in decline.” Tiny’s Coffee

7 PM – 9 PM @ 1306 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214

THE ODDVILLE SHOW | SPLENDORPORIUM

Show us what you perceive to be ODD! Animals? Aliens? Monsters? Your Mom? Your Supper? A Circus?

Our featured artist is Zoe Ball.

7 PM – 9 PM @ 3421 SE 21st Ave., Portland, OR 97202

DUAL DUEL: A TWO PERSON SOLO SHOW | AFRU GALLERY

On November 5th, ‘Dual Duel’ opens at AFRU Gallery in Portland. The show explores the concept of identity, both lost and found. It features a myriad of works by Amy Bugbee and Amy Eir Stocky, one person reconciling two different identities.

Live musical performances by ZenKoal and Dyarq.

Baked goods for all!!!

7 PM – Close @ 534 SE Oak St., Portland, OR 97214

FIRST FRIDAY OPEN STUDIOS | EAST CREATIVE COLLECTIVE

Step inside the studios of East Creative Collective and meet local artists in their natural environment.

6 PM – 9 PM @ 211 SE Madison St., Portland, OR 97214

ANITA REUTHER | HA AUSTIN | SIDESTREET ARTS

Anita Reuther has a lifelong love of the Pacific Northwest. Her mixed media art reflects this with dreamy speckled hillsides, cloudy mountain ranges, and charming bird vignettes. Deeply textured and collaged papers form moody landscapes that the viewer can fall into. 

Anita lives and works in Lake Oswego. She is a member of the Watercolor Society of Oregon and the Three Rivers Artist Guild in Oregon City. 

Sidestreet member and ceramic artist, Ha Austin, crafts what she calls “functional clay canvases”. Platters, flower vases, tea cups with saucers, and sturdy coffee mugs are not only functional, but delightful. Each is designed with whimsical sgraffito images and colorful hand-mixed glazes before firing in a gas-kiln at a high temperature. Chubby little wrens, purple lotus blossoms, and lily pads make the each ceramic piece a functional work of art. 

*artists present in gallery

5 PM – 7 PM @ 140 SE 28th Ave, Portland, OR 97214

VIRTUAL EVENTS

Re: THE SOURCE | BUTTERS GALLERY

Re: The Source
The source is what we are drawing from, get inspired by, learn from, contemplate over, exploit and ignore.
The source shapes us and makes us what we are. We are that source.

We have invented many different words for that source from which we originate, to which we return.
(Words turn into concepts, ideas, sciences, philosophies, religions, cults and cultures. All with the one purpose of trying to understand and to make sense of our being in this world.)
In our creating and experiencings of art, in moments of presence, we connect with the source and find meaning and purpose.
The engaging with art strengthens our connectivity with the source.
We draw everything from the source and we give everything back. Only this way the cycling of life continues. 

The paintings of this presentation are a few samples of my lifelong and more or less successful attempts to connect and to share my findings.
Maybe the one or the other of these works speaks to you and helps you connect with your source in you in unexpected ways.
Respectfully yours,

Bernd Haussmann

VIEW ONLINE

Contact Us

We love to promote art events involving our participating galleries and artists, please be sure to send your news and any feedback to: press@firstfridaypdx.org

Or use our online event submission form!

General inquires: info@firstfridaypdx.org

Copyright © 2019 First Friday PDX, All rights reserved.

First Friday Autumn Art Events

Hi First,
I’m excited to share some great looking First Friday shows this month, both in-person and virtual. In addition to openings at Pushdot Studios, Splendorporium, Brassworks, and Sidestreet Arts, there is a spooky seasonal show at Afru Gallery, and a First Friday PDX collaborative street fair at East Creative Collective. If you’re an artist it’s not too late to register for free!

Autumn is a season of change, and hopefully we can look forward to even more great art events coming up.

See you tomorrow!
Noah Alexander Isaac Stein
First Friday PDX President

AUTUMN ART BLAST | EAST CREATIVE

Blast into Fall with East Creative Collective and First Friday PDX. This October, the Autumn Art Blast is taking over two square blocks of the SE industrial district in celebration of art and support of local artists. Featuring more than 20 artists and creators, the Autumn Art Blast will showcase some of the most exciting new art in Portland, with open studios, a street festival, live music and more.

5 PM – 9 PM @ 211 SE Madison St., Portland OR, 97214

WHITE LIES SHE TOLD ME – SADÉ DUBOIS | PUSHDOT STUDIO

White Lies She Told Me is a group of small paintings that address the personal and complex relationship I share with my mother. The central woman figure in these paintings is a portrait I have painted many times throughout my career, whom I call Umnia Vera, which means “faith faith”, but more so symbolizes the traversing and overcoming of deep emotional trauma, pain, and adversity in my life. In a way, these paintings are self portraits.”

Born and raised in North Portland, Sadé is a self-taught painter who experiments primarily with acrylic and gouache. She has focused on portraiture and landscape, with an affinity for capturing Black women in their brilliance and vulnerability. Some of her portraits are sociopolitical, exploring the attitudes and experiences of African-Americans in their connectedness to nature, while others symbolize self portraits that serve as an archive of her grappling with trauma and other life circumstances.

Following the latest local, state and federal CDC guidelines, we are again requiring masks and appointments when visiting. Thank you for your understanding.

8:30 AM – 5 PM @ 2505 SE 11th Ave, Suite 104, Portland, OR 97202

THE TAROT SHOW | SPLENDORPORIUM

Join us Friday, October 1st 7-9 for the Tarot Show featuring the art and furniture of Zack Hryndej.

7 PM – 9 PM @ 3421 SE 21st Ave., Portland, OR 97202

RABUN THOMPSON | SHARON JONQUIL | SIDESTREET ARTS

Join our featured artist, Rabun Thompson and spotlight artist, Sharon Jonquil in the gallery for some good-time meeting and greeting. Don’t forget to visit our neighbors at Stark Street Studios.
Masks required (of course).

5 PM – 7 PM @ 140 SE 28th Ave., Portland, OR 97214

PORTLAND HORROR SHOW | AFRU GALLERY

6 PM – 10 PM @ 534 SE Oak St. Portland, OR 97214

STREET SHOW | BRASSWORKS GALLERY

We are super excited about working with artists, Simon Griffiths, Jimmer Willmott, and Gregory Hergert at Brassworks Gallery for “Street Show” Opening online THIS Friday, October 1st, 2021

6 PM – 10 PM @ ONLINE

We love to promote art events involving our participating galleries and artists, please be sure to send your news and any feedback to: press@firstfridaypdx.org
Or use our online event submission form!

General inquires: info@firstfridaypdx.org

What is Art Therapy?

Well, it is definitely not the adult coloring book since there is no art therapist to supervise. It is a hybrid of art and psychology were no one needs any fancy artistic skill in order to do it. The therapist sees clients from all walks of life and uses art to improve their well-being and mental health. 

It started to become prominent in the 1940’s as a distinct discipline. The first person to coin the term art therapy was English artist Adrian Hill in 1942. He was being treated for tuberculosis in 1938 and discovered how art affects the mind and body. Hill’s work was expanded by artist Edward Adamson, who helped establish the British Association of Art Therapists in 1964.

In the United States art therapy was being pioneered by Margaret Naumburg who was coined the “mother of art therapy”. Naumburg was an educator and a therapist.  In 1915, she opened the Walden School in New York City after studying briefly with Maria Montessori in Italy.

Even though art therapy has grown, it is still considered relatively new by today’s standards it is used in a variety of settings such as schools and nursing homes. This type of therapy focuses on inner experience and not on the finished product. In other words, the art therapist is not there to criticise the client’s art, but there to facilitate deep healing.  

As you can see, art therapy is beneficial to society, especially mental health. When verbal communication therapy fails, art is there to the rescue. 

Works cited: 

Altman, Julie. (2009, February 27). Margaret Naumburg. Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia.  Retrieved from https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/naumburg-margaret

Bitonte, Robert A, and Marisa De Santo. (2014, July 3). Art Therapy: An Underutilized, yet Effective Tool. Mental illness vol. 6,1 5354. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4253394/

Diconsiglio, John. (2016 February). Color Me Cautious: Don’t Mistake Adult Coloring Books for Art Therapy. Retrieved from https://columbian.gwu.edu/color-me-cautious-don%E2%80%99t-mistake-adult-coloring-books-art-therapy

Fountain, Henry. (1996, February 10). Edward Adamson, 84, Therapist Who Used Art to Aid Mentally Ill. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/10/world/edward-adamson-84-therapist-who-used-art-to-aid-mentally-ill.html

Virtual Art Walk, Real Support for Artists

As we face social isolation and confront financial instability, it is easy to succumb to understandable feelings of dejection and powerlessness. While we continue to confront and overcome these hardships, art can provide us with both a healing outlet for fears and frustrations, as well as a form of transcendent escape.

To help us connect despite physical restrictions, First Friday PDX is curating a Virtual April Art Walk made up of artists, galleries, and causes that can both use your support, and provide a welcome virtual antidote to isolation.

  • ARCHITECTONIC | EUTECTIC GALLERY
  • REDUX EMPLOYEE RELIEF FUND | REDUX GALLERY
  • DAILY SOCIAL SPECIALS | SIDESTREET ARTS
  • ONLINE ARTISTS’ SHOP | EAST CREATIVE COLLECTIVE
  • VIRTUAL APRIL | BRASSWORKS GALLERY
  • “SOMEDAY THIS WILL ALL BE GONE” ARTIST’S TALK | PUSHDOT STUDIOS

Please join us on our digital walk, and consider connecting and supporting the many amazing artists of Portland!

Noah Alexander Isaac Stein
First Friday PDX President

VIRTUAL EVENTS

ARCHITECTONIC | EUTECTIC GALLERY

Some might be disheartened to think that no one will actually enter physically to see this exhibition, but we see this as a creative challenge and exhilarating opportunity to take our show documentation and online experience to a new level.Stay tuned to experience a new journey through our space –

Live, Friday, April 3, 6 p.m.

Eutectic online shop

REDUX EMPLOYEE RELIEF FUND | REDUX GALLERY

As many of you are aware, we had to close our beloved boutique on March 14th for the safety of ourselves and our community.  With suddenly zero income stream, we were forced to furlough our employees. 

We’ve been a woman owned and operated independent small business in the Central Eastside of Portland serving the arts community since 2006.
We have operated out of the same building as a brick and mortar boutique and gallery, and though we have a website, we do not currently sell online.
 We are completely reliant on foot-traffic and direct sales to tourists and locals alike.

As you can imagine, The interruption of our business due to Covid-19 has impacted me and the business overnight, but also directly affected the lives of my 3 employees, without whom Redux could not operate. As we attempt to navigate a new reality of survival in our new social distanced world, we are asking for your help to keep them safe and supported.
This GoFund me is an attempt to provide temporary funding for their survival during this difficult time while we wait for Grant and Federal relief.

I am reaching out to our fans to humbly ask for your support for their welfare. 

We truly are so grateful for any amount you are able to commit to, it will go directly to the employees who you, our customers, have gotten to know over the years, and who help create and enrich the amazing experience of shopping at Redux.
Thank you for taking the time to read and consider where your hard-earned dollars go during this critical time.

If you are unable to donate at this time we completely understand, and hope that you will come by for a visit at some point in the future when we reopen to the public.
We also have gift certificates available for purchase on our website at www.reduxpdx.com/home if you would be interested in investing in our future as well as enjoying redemption for your dollars spent down the road.

See you on the other side!

Sincerely,
Tamara Goldsmith,
owner, Redux Boutique and Gallery

Also, consider buying a $10 Redux gift card to help support the business!

DAILY SOCIAL SPECIALS | SIDESTREET ARTS

Wondering how to support local businesses and artists? Tired of looking at your walls during Social Distancing? How about buying some ART?

Hey, how does this even work?

  • Each day we’ll post an item from one of our artists on Instagram and Facebook at 10am
  • You can see sneak previews here, but each daily item won’t be available for sale until 10am
  • Click on the item that catches your eye, then click again in the store to get more details.
  • Purchase right here online, and we’ll pack it up with freshly gloved hands
  • Pick it up from the door at Sidestreet on any Sunday between noon and 2pm (In compliance with Gov. Brown’s Executive Order, art galleries may be open by appointment only).

@SidestreetArtsPDX on Instagram

Sidestreet Arts on Facebook

Support featured artists from March 29th – April 4th!

ONLINE ARTISTS’ SHOP | EAST CREATIVE COLLECTIVE

We are so happy for all the interest and support. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing COVID-19 event East Creative is closed to public viewing for the immediate future. We are looking forward to hopefully reopening and sharing our art soon! In the meantime you can the work of and support some our amazing artists here at new online gallery and shop.

Online gallery and artists’ shop

VIRTUAL APRIL | BRASSWORKS GALLERY

Missed any of our First Friday shows? Then check out the Brassworks Gallery Online Shop and choose from our archive of artwork. Give us a call if you’d like to schedule a viewing of our current exhibition.

Brassworks Gallery Online Shop

“SOMEDAY THIS WILL ALL BE GONE” ARTIST’S TALK | PUSHDOT STUDIOS

This exhibition was scheduled to run from February 7th – March 27th at Pushdot Studio and was unfortunately cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I will be selling all of the prints from this exhibition at a discounted rate. Follow the link at the top or bottom of this page and feel free to email me at deadcitiesphoto@gmail.com if you have any questions or would like to make a purchase. I can ship prints as well.

I also have work for sale at a discount from past exhibitions not listed on this site and can send those images by request. Feel free to browse my Instagram for photos of the prints from this current series and my past work.

Please take care of yourselves and each other. Stay safe and stay healthy.

-Mike Vos

Online collection at Pushdot Studios

Deadcitiesphoto.com

Performance Art

Performance artist Guillermo Gomez-Peña

What is performance art ? It is a time-based art form rather than a permanent artistic gesture that has a beginning and end. The artist forces the audience to be in the present thus challenging them to participate while educating them about current conditions. 

The orgins of performance art dates back to the Middle Ages with the traveling troubadours and performances of the court minstrels, but really grew into existence in the 20th century with movements such as Dada, Futurism, Automatism, Noveau Realisme, Fluxus, Neo-Dada, Body Art and Feminist Art. It became a movement in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Performance art is not a passive art but, an “action” art that focused on the “message” expressed by the performance artist. Below are two examples of performance artists that have succeeded in this art medium.

Marina Abramovic bursted onto the scene in the 1970’s with “cathartic performances that tested the limits of spectator participation and personal safety (“Between 1973-1974”, 2015). She used her own body as art.  Rhythm 10 is an excellent example of this and her first performance piece. For this particular performance she used 20 knives of different sizes and shapes and adapted the slavic knife game called “five finger fillet”. This game lasted till each knife was used twice. Another example is Rhythm 0, which was the last performance of the Rhythm Series that involved her objectifying her body for an audience that gradually became aggressive. This performance lasted for 6 hours and involved the audience to do whatever they wanted with her body that included the use of the 72 objects provided. Her emotionally and physically challenging performance pieces have been highly influential in performance art and earned her the title of “grandmother of performance art”. 

Guillermo Gómez-Peña is another performance artist. He came onto the art scene in the 1980’s and incorporates activism into his pieces. In 1992, his most notable work came out which is titled Couple in The Cage: Two Amerindians Visit the West in collaboration with Coco Fusco. It was about responding to the widespread commemoration of the 500-year anniversary of Columbus’s arrival to the Americans while focusing on colonial ideas regarding the exploitation, captivity, and abuse of indigenous people.  What Gómez-Peña notice was that the audience still held onto these colonial ideas of Western thought towards non-Western cultures and that they need to let go of these mentalities. 

As an activist, much of his work is about erasing the divide between art and politics. His most current work to date is the perfect example of this: The Most (un) Documented Mexican Artist performed at Los Angles Contemporary Exhibitions. In this particular piece, he presents an eclectic perspective on the prompt future of the Americans. 

As you can see, both of these artists have used their art to teach society about itself, hoping to point out the attitudes and mindsets of the current society we live in. Finally, art is necessary for the advancement of civilization, thus letting go of outdated ideas can civilization be allowed to move on to a better world.

Other notable performance artists:

Joseph Beuys

Ana Mendieta

Works Cited:  

Between 1973-1974, Abramović performed five pieces. (2015, February 10). Retrieved from https://blogs.uoregon.edu/marinaabramovic/category/rhythm-series/

Butler, Anne Marie. (2012, January 22). Performance Art Movement Overview and Analysis. Retreved from https://www.theartstory.org/movement/performance-art/artworks/#pnt_5

Lopez, Mia. (2014, October 14).  A History of Revisionism: Contemporary Art and Columbus/Indigenous People’s Day. Retrieved from https://walkerart.org/magazine/a-history-of-revisionism-contemporary-art-and-columbusindigenous-peoples-day

Stromberg, Matt. (2018, February 14). “Welcome to a World Without Trump!”: Guillermo Gómez-Peña’s Latest Performance. Retrieved from https://hyperallergic.com/427085/the-most-un-documented-mexican-artist-guillermo-gomez-pena-lace/

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!


Art Colleges from the Past

Before diving into the past let’s ask ourselves how important is art to learning? Some say not that much while others say it is significant to learning and understanding the world. Below are two art colleges that deviated from traditional colleges in the 20th century. 

The Bauhaus building in Dessau.

Bauhaus was a school of design that started in 1919 by Walter Gropius in the German city of Weimar. In 1925 it moved to the city of Dessau and finally to Berlin in 1932. It changed hands many times and combined fine arts and crafts. Besides from the fact that it was an art school, the minimalistic design that it taught and publicized became well-known throughout the world. Aside from the school being progressive, especially in the manifesto that Gropius written in 1919, stated that it welcomed “everyone without regard to age or sex”, students still meet with discrimination. The women who went there faced prejudice from the professors that they could not work in the more “challenging” fields of metalwork and architecture. Nevertheless, only 11 female students preserve and worked in the more “challenging” fields.  It closed in 1933 due to constant harassment by the Nazis. 

Another art institution that was also progressive was Black Mountain College. It ended up becoming a haven for Bauhaus expats when it opened up in 1933 in Black Mountain, North Carolina. It was started by John A. Rice who left Rollins College due to controversy. And was born out of a desire to create a new type of college based on John Dewey’s principles of progressive education. At the time, the college was a community-centered education that was owned and operated by the faculty. The traditional hierarchies that are usually found at colleges were non-existent. The community type environment was meant to inspire “the individual student with a sense of his or her relations to others and the environment.” The Liberal Arts College was committed to democratic governance and to the idea that the arts are central to the experience of learning. Even though it was located in the south at a time when it was segregated, the Black Mountain community did have 11 black students before closing in 1957.

Students at Black Mountain College, sunning on the dock at Lake Eden
– looking out to the Studies Building.
Photo by John Campbell (Western Regional Archives)

Therefore, even though both schools were seen as a progressive they both faced challenges. What they left behind is still present to this day; a simple revolutionary design and a community-based education.

Works Cited: 

Kino, Carol. (2015, March 16). In the Spirit of Black Mountain College, an Avant-Garde Incubator. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/19/arts/artsspecial/in-the-spirit-of-black-mountain-college-an-avant-garde-incubator.html

Gotthardt, Alexxa. (2017, April 3). The Women of the Bauhaus School. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-women-bauhaus-school 

Lutyen, Dominic. (2018, September 20). Anni Albers and the Forgotten Women of the Bauhaus. http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20180919-anni-albers-and-the-forgotten-women-of-the-bauhaus

Pearce, J., Michael. (2019, June 1). Why Art Schools Are Disappearing.  https://fee.org/articles/why-art-schools-are-disappearing/#disqus_thread

Ritter, M., Jennifer. (2011, December 30). Beyond Progressive Education: Why John Andrew Rice Really Opened Black Mountain College. https://scholarship.rollins.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1044&context=rurj

Saval, Nikil.(2019, February 4). How Bauhaus Redefined What Design Could Do for Society. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/04/t-magazine/bauhaus-school-architecture-history.html?module=inline

https://www.theartstory.org/movement/black-mountain-college/

http://www.blackmountaincollege.org/history/

Fresh Forms of First Friday



It’s an exciting month for First Friday! In the height of the summer art season, First Friday is been busy growing and spreading new leaves. In addition to highlighting some amazing August art openings, the newsletter this month will be showcasing some of the new directions First Friday is moving.

  • New openings at Redux, Eutectic, AFRU, and Portland Craft Bar  
  • 45+ new artists at the First Friday Summer Art Party
  • Call for artists!
  • Welcoming new galleries to the art walk: Manifestation / Henderson Hackerspace
  • New blog by Victoria on the history of First Friday

Look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Noah Alexander Isaac Stein
First Friday PDX President

UPCOMING SHOWS

FIRST FRIDAY SUMMER ART PARTY | EAST CREATIVE COLLECTIVE

A collaboration between First Friday PDX and the East Creative Collective, join us for the first of First Friday PDX’s summer Art Parties. Featuring the work of more than 45 local artists and vendors, the Summer Art Party takes place beneath the columns of the Hawthorne bridge, and features live music and performances.

6 pm – 9 pm @ 211 SE Madison St.

SKIN DEEP GROUP SHOW | REDUX GALLERY

SKIN DEEP GROUP SHOW featuring 9 amazing local tattoo artists. Celebrating the contemporary artistry of some of Portland’s finest tattoo artists, we are stoked to bring you a show demonstrating Portland’s continued knack for smashing conventions and elevating tattoo artistry to extraordinary heights.

6 pm – 9 pm @3022 E. Burnside St.

MAKING SPACE | YUNOMIS & MORE | EUTECTIC GALLERY

Celebrating the latest work from master potters, Josh DeWeese, Linda Sikora in Making Space, along with local legend Stephen Mickey with Yunomis & More in The Back Room. Join us, along with Josh and Stephen.

6 pm – 9 pm @ 1930 NE Oregon St.

BEWILDER | AFRU GALLERY

To bewilder is to cause confusion; this series investigates boundaries and the disorientation of interstitial spaces. The show explores what happens inbetween, where the unexpected emerges.

Bewilder also implies being wilder – embracing nature in an attempt to navigate existence.
Anne Bujold combines metalsmithing and blacksmithing techniques with alternative materials such as felt, ribbon, and plastics. In her sculpture, animals are agents examining the spaces between definitions, that fertile ground where new forms emerge.

Previously based in Portland, Oregon, she operated Riveted Rabbit Studio, a custom metal fabrication business.

www.annebujold.com

6 pm – 12 am @534 SE Oak St.

NEXT GEN PDX | PORTLAND CRAFT BAR

It’s Summer Art Party time!! Come one, come all and join us for First Friday at Portland Craft Bar*! For First Friday August, we’re celebrating our youth artists with an amazing art show for a good cause- all sales benefit Portland Homeless Family Solutions. The art show is the culmination of a week-long fine arts summer camp at PCB, where 10% of all tuition also benefits PHFS.

Come anytime between 6pm and 9pm to browse in the PCB studio and through the East Creative building. Stay for refreshments and visit the other open art studios in our building, enjoy live music, check out local makers, and take part in some fun art projects!

6 pm – 9 pm @ 211 SE Madison St., Studio #3

NEW TO FIRST FRIDAY

OPEN STUDIO | MANIFESTATION/H.H

About Hedron Hackerspace:

We’re an inclusive bunch of hackers and artists, sharing space and equipment. h.h exists to foster community and creativity, with the accessibility of some modern tools such as 3D printers, a laser cutter, welders, etc.. We’re a do-ocracy where members and volunteers are encouraged to put forth their energy where they see fit.

Open studio for the First Friday Art Walk. Come see what we’ve been working on at this collective creative space!

6 pm – 9 pm @ 2020 SE Bush St.

ART BLOG

THROUGH THE EYES OF ANNIE MEYER: GENTRIFICATION AND THE REEMERGENCE OF THE CENTRAL EASTSIDE ART SCENE| VICTORIA GLANOWSKI

Recently, I interviewed Annie Meyer who is one of the leading figures in the Portland art scene. Long story short, Meyer came to Portland in the 1980’s while driving up from California and oddly enough her car broke down in Portland. In 1995, she opened up her art gallery on Clinton Street and in 2010 opened up a successful art gallery in the Pearl District before closing it in 2018. In 2004, Meyer received a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council to create a map of First Friday Art Walk. Meyer is one of the few people that has witnessed the changes in the Portland art culture over the years. 

Read the full blog post here!

CALL FOR ARTISTS

FIRST FRIDAY IS LOOKING FOR ARTISTS

The First Friday Summer Art Party takes place from July to September along SE Madison, between 2nd and 3rd Ave, outside the East Creative building. Open to all local artists and performers, the street exhibition provides visitors and patrons access to independent Portland artists interested in showcasing their creative output.

Participation in the First Friday Art Party is free, however artists are required to register and submit samples of their work.

How to Apply

Step one: Use our online form to submit 3 images of your art, a description or video of your performance or music, and any other information that will help us understand your work.

Step two: Wait for a conformation email from the First Friday team.

Step three: Arrive with enough time to set up and be ready to go by 6:00 PM on First Friday!

OTHER SHOW OPENINGS AND ART EVENTS

  • 3 – 8 pm: GALLERY CLOSING PARTY @ ROLL-UP PHOTO STUDIO + GALLERY
  • 6 – 8 pm: SHE WAS/IS @ WOLFF GALLERY
  • 6 – 8 pm: POLLUTION OF NIGHT @ PUSHDOT STUDIO
  • 6 – 9 pm: SHYAMA HELIN@ANNIE MEYER GALLERY / STUDIO 2507
  • 6 – 9 pm: THE UNSEEN @ TABORSPACE
  • 6 – 9 pm: LARA ROUSE @ JAILBREAK STUDIOS
  • 6 – 9 pm: CLOSER TO HOME @ SIDESTREET ARTS
  • 6 – 10 pm: GRITTY IN THE CITY @ BRASSWORKS GALLERY
  • 7 – 9 pm: SPELLBOUND @ SPLENDORPORIUM

Contact Us

We love to promote art events involving our participating galleries and artists, please be sure to send your news and any feedback to: press@firstfridaypdx.org

Or use our online event submission form!

General inquires: info@firstfridaypdx.org

Copyright © 2019 First Friday PDX, All rights reserved.

Through The Eyes of Annie Meyer: Gentrification and the Re-emergence of the Central Eastside Art Scene

Recently, I interviewed Annie Meyer who is one of the leading figures in the Portland art scene. Long story short, Meyer came to Portland in the 1980’s while driving up from California and oddly enough her car broke down in Portland. In 1995, she opened up her art gallery on Clinton Street and in 2010 opened up a successful art gallery in the Pearl District before closing it in 2018. In 2004, Meyer received a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council to create a map of First Friday Art Walk. Meyer is one of the few people that has witnessed the changes in the Portland art culture over the years. 

Speaking of changes, in the past 20 years, the art scene in Portland has not changed for the better and has “devolved”. This can be due to the increasing rent prices happening in Portland due to new developments that has to do with gentrification. 

With the rise of gentrification in Portland, it has affected the art scene in the process and has made it worse, especially for emerging artists getting their start. Meyer’s thoughts on how gentrification affected the art scene in Portland is that it is: 


More expensive for artist to have a gallery to sell their art.

Brings in people with money, but they are either not buying art or

maybe it is harder for them to find artists. 

~Annie Meyer

As to making the art scene more accessible to emerging artists coming from different cities and states. Portland needs to encourage artists to be part of the art scene. First Friday Art Walk is one example that Meyer suggested and to elaborate further:

[You need] cheaper places and First Friday Art Walk is perfect.

It is less about drinking and more about art.

 ~ Annie Meyer

This coming August and September, First Friday is having an Art Party, that is at no cost for artists, which will help them tremendously. As a quick mention, First Friday Art Walk recently became a non-profit.

Therefore, Portland is an art buying city, but in times like these, everyone has to step in and help make it a thriving and lasting art culture. Not only does the art community has to be doing the work, but the city has to be doing its part as well. Finally, when people from different backgrounds put aside their differences and work together for a cause, change happens for the better. 


Announcing the First Friday Summer Art Party

** September only:  the Curious Carnival! A traveling circus of all things anarchic, strange, wonderful, and mischievous. Including a special curated art show of the unusual, and guests The Hill Creature of Oregon, Twenty Three Suns, Lucky Locks, and more!**

A collaboration between First Friday PDX and the East Creative Collective, join us for a special end of summer First Friday Art Party.

Featuring the work of more than 35 local artists and vendors, the Summer Art Party takes place beneath the columns of the Hawthorne bridge, and features live music, performances, food, and drink.