Action Painting Experience planned for Art Attack-themed August First Friday

The First Friday arts festival is scheduled from 5 to 11 p.m. Aug 5 at venues throughout the 18b Arts District in downtown Las Vegas, near the intersection of Charleston Boulevard and Main Street. Live entertainment, artists’ booths, food vendors and more are planned. Admission is free. On-street and paid parking are available close to the event, but spaces fill up early. Visitors are cautioned to avoid parking in unauthorized parking areas, such as vacant lots, as they may be subject to towing.

The event is set to include artists, the artisan bazaar, food trucks, music and a live painting exhibition. The theme for this month’s event is Art Attack. The streets surrounding the block that includes Art Square, 1025 S. First St., are closing for tents and trucks with food, art and music. The Action Painting Experience is set to bring interactive activities to several locations around the event, allowing visitors to paint things to take home using the drip method made famous by Jackson Pollock. The Jaguar Land Rover Las Vegas hydration area is set to have live painting classes with participants being instructed on painting to match a sample artwork. Life painting on large diamond-shaped objects that light up is planned, with the structure and event reminiscent of The Life Cube project. Volunteers plan to sell lemonade and cucumber water to raise money for Dazzle for Africa and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

California Street from Main to Third streets is also set to be closed with art and children’s events organized by Youth Outdoor Unity.

Although the main events are scheduled at the 18b Arts District, the organizers note that First Friday exists all over downtown Las Vegas. Visit firstfridaylasvegas.com.

Preview Thursday is planned from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 4, offering a more low-key event with the opportunity to see many of the galleries and shows before the crowds on Friday.

Galleries planning to participate in August’s First Friday include:

The Arts Factory, 107 E. Charleston Blvd.

First Floor:

— 303 North Studio: Works by artist James Henninger. Visit tinyurl.com/303north or call 702-742-4021.

— 17 Moons Art Studio: Assemblages by Michael Delacruz in the gallery’s new, larger space on the first floor. Visit 17moons.com or call 702-245-7725.

— Jana’s RedRoom: Featured artists include oil paintings by Daniel Miller, acrylic paintings by Kat Tatz and oil paintings by Manny Rubio. Premium Wall artists include art featuring trees created with a variety of mediums by Jeffrey Locke Lemert and works by Lorenzo Calderon and Erin Gallagher. Also included are small works by local artists in the Salon Gallery. Visit janasredroom.com or call 702-454-3709.

— Joseph Watson Gallery: New and classic works by Joseph Watson. Visit josephwatsoncollection.com or call 858-733-2135.

— Perception Gallery: Photography by Lucy Wu and John Wright. Visit perceptiongallery.com or call Wu at 702-525-9517 or Wright at 702-285-6283.

— Sin City Gallery: “Adolescence” with works by Ali Fathollahi. Visit sincitygallery.com or call 702-608-2461.

— Wonderland Gallery: “Diane Bush’s Mug Shots #5: Dishing it out,” featuring paintings related to the 2016 presidential race by several artists, as well as works in a variety of mediums by Mark Goddard. Visit tinyurl.com/wlgart or call 702-686-4010.

Second Floor:

— Dray Studio & Gallery: Collaboration paintings by Maral Shar and Dray and handcrafted jewelry by Corinthia. Visit instagram.com/draydizzle1 or call 415-748-0713.

— Eden Art Studio and Gallery: “The End of the Beginning,” a group show featuring the work of Eden Pastor, Justin Lepper, Geneva Marquez and more. Visit edenartstudioandgallery.com or call 702-595-6818.

— MacSual Studio: Color play painting on clothing and accessories by Sheridee Hopper. The work will only be on display and for sale on First Fridays. Visit tinyurl.com/macsual or call 512-663-8115.

— Peace N Art Studio: “Sixth Year Anniversary Show,” featuring works by the artists’ collective 3 Baaad Sheep. Visit tinyurl.com/pnas16 or call 702-465-8247.

— SaVx Gallery: The featured artist is Stephanie Khodorkovsky. Also new works by Steve Anthony, Victor Xiu, Danielle Sheffey, Angelica Salazar and Arturo Amial Jr. Visit Facebook.com/savxgallery or call 702-540-9331.

Art Square, 1025 First St.

— Brett Wesley Gallery: “Guilty Pleasure/s,” a group show. Visit brettwesleygallery.com or call 702-483-8844.

— The Nevada Humanities Program Gallery: “Transcribing In Nevada,” an invitational exhibit of Nevada artists and poets sharing selections from their sketchbooks and journals, giving a glimpse into how they explore a place, describe an experience or develop an idea. The journals, poetry and artworks examine the process of study, observation and musings that in turn become final artworks. Selected artists and poets will also present ideas and techniques in a hands-on journal/sketchbook project during the Vegas Valley Book Festival to encourage others to take time to write, to draw, to see and to think. Visit nevadahumanities.org or call 702-800-4670.

— Nevada Light Gallery: Photography by AJ Pagano and Nick Percell. Visit nevadalightgallery.com or call 702-768-9556.

— City of the World, 1229 S. Casino Center Blvd.: A solo show by painter Havi Mandell. Visit cityoftheworldlasvegas.org or call 702-523-5306.

— Clay Arts Vegas, 1511 S. Main St.: “Serve it Up,” a nationally juried group show featuring plates, platters, bowls, casseroles and other functional tableware with an artistic flair. Guest artist and lecturer Leilani Trinka is scheduled to be at the gallery Aug. 6 and 7. Visit clayartsvegas.com or call 702-375-4147.

Downtown Spaces, 1800 Industrial Road, plans to celebrate First Friday from 6 to 10 p.m. Visit dtspaces.com. Confirmed activities include:

— Bubblegum Gallery: “Harry Potter” group show.

— Evil Vinyl!: Grand opening of the storefront for a company that makes shirts, stickers, decals and signs for bands and events. The location is also set to act as a gallery.

— Hard Hat Lounge: First anniversary of Rap Is Fun with a lineup of favorite MCs at 8 p.m. Admission is $5, and a free gift is set to go to the first 50 people in the door.

— Naked City Studios: “Abstract August” group show.

— Skin City Gallery: Live body painting and live music.

— Yoga Kandy: “All Together Now” by Xena Foreman, promoting peace and unity.

To reach East Valley View reporter F. Andrew Taylor, email ataylor@viewnews.com or call 702-380-4532.