What is First Friday for the Arts?
First Friday for the Arts was created to sustain an inclusive community-centered series of art events that recur every first Friday of the month intending to bring together creatives and businesses to present a night to immerse in the arts.
There are currently eight participating locations, including 6 gallery spaces, two storefront exhibitions, and a jewelry demo site.
First Friday for the Arts is an affiliate program through Main Street Morgantown.
2024 Dates/Times
- April 5, 2024, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- May 3, 2024, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- June 7, 2024, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- July 5, 2024, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- August 2, 2024, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- September 6, 2024, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- October 4, 2024, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- November 1, 2024, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Participating Locations
Location Description: At 198 Foundry St, Andrew White Guitars us Morgantown’s local artisan guitar shop. Andrew White utilizes his creative abilities to create beautifully crafted musical instruments. Being a true advocate and lover of the arts, the space features a large gallery venue behind the storefront.
August 2nd Feature: Andrew White Guitars will present an exhibition of works by Jamie Lester.
Address: 198 Foundry St.
Website: https://www.andrewwhiteguitars.com/
Location Description: Located at 175 Kirk St, The Morgantown History Museum shares the rich history of Morgantown.
Over the years, the museum has presented a number of exhibitions both in-house and off-site in collaboration with other organizations, such as: Friends of Decker’s Creek, Old Hemlock Foundation, Historical Railroad Model Club, West Virginia University Public History Department, Daughters of the American Revolution, West Virginia State Native American Museum, and many others. In addition, the museum has partnered with the WVU to train students in the process of exhibit production and development of oral histories and other projects.
In 2020, the Morgantown History museum was transferred to the City of Morgantown Arts & Cultural Development Department, to align all aspect of the arts under one centralized City of Morgantown department.
August 2nd Feature: The Morgantown History Museum will be celebrating the 100th b-day anniversary of Donn Knotts
Address: 175 Kirk St. Morgantown WV, 26505
Location Description: Located at 107 High St., the Monongalia Arts Center (MAC), established in 1978, is located in Morgantown’s Historic Post Office. This space is now a community-driven arts center in Monongalia County, offering a home for visual, performing, literary arts, and more. The MAC is committed to providing affordable access to diverse art forms through education, immersion, and outreach. Two galleries are located in the MAC, the Benedum and Davis galleries.
August 2nd Feature: The Monongalia Arts Center will present curated exhibitions “Mostly Pink” in the Benedum Gallery and “Fabric of Creativity” in the Davis Gallery.
Address: 107 High St. Morgantown WV, 26505
Website: https://monartscenter.com/
Location Description: Morgantown Restored is a public art initiative by Main Street Morgantown to bring local art to vacant storefronts.
August 2nd Feature: Morgantown ReStored, a Main Street Morgantown initiative will have works on display from Tim Brown at 147 Hiigh St. and paintings by Betsy Spellman at 228 High St.
Address: 147 and 228 High St. Morgantown WV, 26505
Website: https://downtownmorgantown.com/
Location Description: Located at 131 Pleasant St, the Co-Op is a creative arts venue space that offers workshops, exhibitions, and rental opportunities. The space neighbors 123 Pleasant St Music and local restaurant B.C MaC, creating the perfect pair of live music, food, and hands-on creative opportunities.
August 2nd Feature: The Co-Op will present an exhibition of members of the Morgantown Art Association (MAA).
Address: 131 Pleasant St, Morgantown WV, 26505.
Website: https://www.instagram.com/co.op.wv/
Location Description: Located at 268 High St, the Morgantown Art Bar is an art-centered bar that provides food, refreshments, and a variety of creative opportunities available to everyone.
August 2nd Feature: The Art Bar will present an exhibition of Jenny Marsat and a kintsugi Demo
Address: 268 High St., Morgantown WV, 26505
Website: https://www.morgantownartbar.com/
Location Description: Located at 218 Walnut St, the Morgantown Art Party was created by community member Jillian Kelly to provide an inclusive creative space for every style of art you can imagine.
August 2nd Feature: The Morgantown Art Party will showcase aerialists from Rise and Shine Studio, featuring artwork by Jillian Kelly.
Address: 218 Walnut St. Morgantown WV, 26505
Location Description: Silver Pennies Jewelry is a local artisan jeweler who creates their pieces of work and sells local artisan pieces. Attendees can explore live jewelry making during First Friday for the Arts.
Address: 310 High St. Morgantown WV, 26505
Photo Gallery
FAQs
- I want my business to be involved, what does that entail?
For starters- yes, it is a lot of work. Many hours and much collaboration go into making this program a success and to ultimately be sustainable. To be an official stop on First Friday, you will need to make an initial 6 month commitment to being a host space/venue to First Friday For the Arts. Each first Friday, you will commit to being open from 5-9pm and have arts-related programming in your space. Programming can include, but is not limited to, a gallery show or opening, an artists make and take, a poetry reading or slam, artist lecture, book readings, artist pop-ups, artist demos, music performances- the list goes on and on. This is not just a commitment to being open. Being a host stop means being a part of a team. There is a lot of collaboration, meetings and work involved to make this program a success and ultimately, sustainable. We meet monthly after the event to discuss how it went and plan for the next event. Our team can help place artists in venues/stops (pick one and change throughout) if someone on the team is having trouble securing arts programming. We expect host venues to share all of our socials, thank our funders and sponsors and to help get the word out. Our core mission is to make Downtown Morgantown a thriving arts community and Arts Destination! We need all hands on deck and buy-in from our local businesses and community members.
2. Cool, I am ready to do the work, but What do I get for being a host stop and what does this do for my business?
When you join, you will get an official First Friday sandwich board and sign to put in front of your business during the event. You will also receive a stencil and spray chalk to spray the sidewalk at your stop on the day of the event. Your stop will be featured on all socials and will be listed as a stop with your arts-related programming and times attached. We are hoping this program starts to bring people back downtown to shop, dine, play and stay. We believe that increasing foot traffic and creating fun, cultural opportunities for downtown patrons and community members will drive more economic support for local businesses.
3.I am not interested in that kind of commitment, but I do want to support the cause and have my business logo on the advertising.
Yes, be a sponsor! We know this is a lot of work. It involves a lot of community and business leader volunteer time and money. To be sustainable, we need your help! We have several sponsorship levels and we would really appreciate your financial support.
4. Wow, all of this sounds great, but I don’t think I am looking to add more to my plate. Can I just be open?
If this all sounds like a lot, it is because it is. There is a ton of work, volunteer time and hustle that goes into making a project like this a success. If you just want to be open, there is nothing to do. Just be open! As we grow, we would like every business to be open for First Friday, because it is in their economic best interest to do so. Please share our events and let people know you will be open. Let people know cool things will be going on downtown and they need to not miss it!
I like this idea, but I want to see how it all starts to shake out; can I add my business later?
Yes, you can! If a few months from now, you are wishing you were on board and you can commit to all of the above, reach out- we would love to have you!
Thanks to our Supporters!
