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Las Vegas’ First Friday to bring people together with One World Through Art theme

The First Friday arts festival is set to celebrate its 14th anniversary by bringing together people with its theme for October, One World Through Art. The theme reflects and honors the LGBT community’s celebration of National Coming Out Weekend.

The festival is scheduled from 5 to 11 p.m. Oct. 7 at venues throughout the 18b Arts District, near the intersection of Charleston Boulevard and Main Street. Live entertainment, artists’ booths, food vendors and more are planned. The event is set to include artists, the artisan bazaar, food trucks, music and a live painting exhibition. The streets surrounding the block that includes Art Square, 1025 S. First St., are set to close for tents and trucks with food, art and music.

October’s featured artist is Izaac Zevalking, aka Recycled Propaganda, and the event is set to include a farmers’ market with chef demos at 6:15 and 7:15 p.m.; “Paint by Numbers” by Jasmine Farro with two large frames where visitors can paint by numbers; and the Dance DepARTment where patrons can learn about a variety of dance forms, listen to music and mingle while getting exercise on Coolidge Street between First and Main streets.

Music is scheduled from 5 to 11 p.m. starting with Deblanc, followed by Gary McGrath from The McGrath Project at 7:45 p.m., Kayla Jones at 9 p.m., Tyler Green at 10:15 p.m. and Twenty8 at 10:15 p.m. A drum circle is planned from 5 to 11 p.m. at the drum bus. Visit drumbus.com.

The penultimate and largest event in artist Diane Bush’s “Dishing it out” presidential election-themed project is planned in the tent area and will create a carnival-type event titled “Let America BREAK Again.” Visitors are invited to smash plates and keep the results. Abandoned shards will be donated to a community free speech mosaic. The event is also set to include patriotic music, poets, face painting and Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty posing for pictures.

Rock the Vote volunteers are set to ask participants to register and encourage them to vote.

East Colorado Avenue from Main to Third streets is also set to be closed, and Youth Outdoor Unity is set to have children’s activities and a petting zoo, dancing, Lego building, robotics and Trax2U. The area is also set to have art at City of the World and more food trucks.

Admission is free. On-street and paid parking is 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 vehicles may be subject to towing.

The foundation has partnered with Lyft and has planned a drop-off and pick-up point on Coolidge Avenue and First Street. Entering the code “firstfridaylv” qualifies first-time users for a $50 ride credit.

Visit firstfridaylasvegas.com.

Preview Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 6 offers a more low-key event. The preview presents an opportunity to see many of the galleries and shows before the Friday crowds.

Galleries planning to participate in October’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 “Revenge of the Dead” with paintings by Mandy Joy and “Creepy Dolls” by David Fay. Also small works by local artists in the Salon Gallery. The gallery is also set to host the fifth annual Art & Silent Auction to benefit PAWcasso Las Vegas, which is set to raise money for local animal rescue groups, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 8. The event is set to include food, wine, a silent auction, music, and art donated by local artists. Visit pawcassolv.org or 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: “Direct to You in 20 Min,” works by Juan Muniz. Visit sincitygallery.com or call 702-608-2461.

— Twisted Artist Gallery: The Art Collective Trifexy is set to premiere “The Unfolding,” a one-of-a-kind exhibition debuting a never-before-seen series of exquisite corpse artworks, revealed for the first time even to the artists, during the opening on Oct. 6. The art collective consists of Omayra Amador, Kim Johnson, and Nancy Good. An exquisite corpse is an art technique created by surrealists in which the participants produce a collective drawing or collage by folding the paper and adding images or patterns without looking at the other artists’ contributions to the work. An artist talk is scheduled at 7 p.m. Oct. 13. Visit twistedartistgallery.com or call 702-813-8428.

— Wonderland Gallery: “Dia de Los Meurtos” featuring Day of the Dead-themed art by various artists. Visit tinyurl.com/wlgart or call 702-686-4010.

Second Floor

— Dray Studio & Gallery: Paintings by Dray. Visit instagram.com/draydizzle1 or call 415-748-0713.

— 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.

— Obsidian Fine Art, formerly SaVx Gallery: Oil paintings by Steve Anthony, acrylics by Michelle Troy, acrylics by Angelica Salazar and acrylic and steel paintings by Arturo Amial Jr. Live music by Richard Bistrup. Visit tinyurl.com/obsidianfineartgallery or call 702-540-9331.

— Peace N Art Studio: Works by Alexander P. Huerta featuring art from eight years at The Arts Factory and including works from all three of his major series: the Vintage Urban Collection, the Radiant Collection and the Transfer Collection. Visit tinyurl.com/pnas16 or call 702-465-8247.

Art Square, 1025 First St.

— The Cube (formerly Brett Wesley Gallery): “Feted,” an art installation by Jennifer Henry. Visit thecubelv.com or call 702-483-8844.

— The Nevada Humanities Program Gallery: “Journalism Saves Lives: Honoring the Las Vegas Sun’s Pulitzer Prize for Public Service,” an exhibition presented in conjunction with the nationwide celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Pulitzer Prize. In 2009, the Las Vegas Sun was awarded the Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal for Public Service for its investigation into the root causes behind the deaths of construction workers that occurred on the Las Vegas Strip — a systemic lack of enforcement of safety regulations. The exhibition chronicles the Sun’s coverage of these issues and the emotional toll the deaths took on workers’ families with photography, video, and the original Sun articles. An opening reception is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 6. Visit nevadahumanities.org or call 702-800-4670.

— Nevada Light Gallery: Photography by AJ Pagano and Nick Percell. Visit nevadalightgallery.com or call 702-523-5306.

Other Galleries

— Bash Fine Art, 1009 S. Main St.: “Brimstone & Lace,” featuring work by Leegan and Laura Atkins. Visit bashfineart.com or call 702-998-2808.

— City of the World, 1229 S. Casino Center Blvd.: A solo show by Merri McKee. Visit cityoftheworld.org or call 702-523-5306.

— Clay Arts Vegas, 1511 S. Main St: “What goes Bump in the Night,” a nationally juried group show featuring spooky and weird clay art juried by Robert Lawarre III. Lawarre is scheduled to conduct a workshop Oct. 8 and 9. Visit clayartsvegas.com or call 702-375-4147.

— Velveteen Rabbit, 1218 S. Main St.: A pop-up shop by Alex and Ani featuring exo-conscious and sustainable jewelry is planned from 5 to 9 p.m. Visit alexandani.com.

Downtown Spaces, 1800 Industrial Road, plans to celebrate First Friday from 6 to 10 p.m. Oct. 7. Visit tinyurl.com/dtspaces for details. Confirmed activities include:

— Bubblegum Gallery: “Beetlejuice” group show.

— Skin City Gallery: New work by Das Frank.

— Naked City Studios artist Jeff Lewis is set to be live painting a large-scale mural on one of studio’s roll-up doors. He also plans to sell his originals and prints.

— Open doors and open studios at Evil Vinyl, Heartbroken Reality, ToyBoxx and Roux & Bones, NEST, Jazzee Art, Zero To Zen Gallery, Yoga Kandy, and ISI.

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

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