The sun may be sinking sooner as we head into the month of October, but galleries all around the city leave the light on every first Friday of the month to welcome arts connoisseurs. Ongoing exhibits from both local and visiting artists can be found throughout Old Town, Nob Hill, Downtown and the Northeast Heights, but for aficionados itching for something new, there are several opening receptions worth making an extended stop this Friday, Oct. 2.
Culture Shock: Mixed Media With A Mission Mixed Media With A Mission
Starting in the far north of Albuquerque, devotees of contemporary art can find themselves immersed in multimedia creations at VSA’s North Fourth Art Center (4904 Fourth Street NW). Artists at the center, which provides a space for adults with developmental disabilities to create, have designed synergistic works that combine movement, dance, canvases, costuming and video as large scale installations. The appropriately roomy title of the show is GROWTH. Hit up the opening reception between 5 and 6:30pm, or catch the show before it packs up on Nov. 9.
Culture Shock: Nature Finds A Way At Harwood Arts Center Nature Finds A Way At Harwood Arts Center
For more community-minded artistry, allot some time on your First Friday schedule to visit the Harwood Arts Center (1114 Seventh Street NW). The new month welcomes work by artists Meg Carlson and Rachel Popowcer, two creators exploring space, history and our relationship to nature in their respective exhibitions. Popowcer utilizes paint, paper, wood and other media to explore her subjects in Elemental, while Carlson emphasizes texture by incorporating various fibers into the complex, large scale pieces of Husht Reverberations. Stop in at the gallery, located on the Escuela del Sol Montessori School campus between 6 and 8pm to experience the work of these two artists at the opening reception. If you don’t make it this Friday, head to the Harwood galleries before we move headlong into November to take in the work of these talented local artists.
Culture Shock: Explore The Abstruse With The Distractionists Explore The Abstruse With The Distractionists
If your Friday night isn’t full enough already, round out your evening by getting a glimpse at the latest offerings from Art Gallery Studio 606 (606 Broadway SE), which will welcome a trove of work by a diverse troupe of artists known collectively as the Distractionists. The reception for Convergence/Divergence, an integrated exploration of all things abstract, kicks off at 5:30 and quiets down around 7:30pm.
Culture Shock:
If you’re still playing catch-up on exhibitions that have already opened around town, there’s a bevy of ongoing shows with extended hours during October’s First Friday crawl. The doors of the Matrix Fine Art (3812 Central SE) in Nob Hill will stay open late to showcase the canvases of Amir Espat, as will the studio of the fiber artists at Sacramento Mountain Weavers (2231 Wyoming NE) in the Northeast Heights, to name just a few. For a complete listing of First Friday happenings, find your way to the events calendar, and then flex your eye muscles at any of Albuquerque’s participating galleries.
