“Irascible Deities” by Lisa Bulawsky at Rebus Works
First Friday Map and Guide to the Art Exhibitions >
It looks like it is going to be a soggy First Friday, but there is plenty going on for those willing to brave the weather. If you get a real early start, Block Gallery will be open until 5 pm. Be sure to see their latest show, Picturing the Fantastic, before it ends July 27th. Featuring two very different artists, Tisha Edwards Weddington with her bold colors and large panels and Leah Palmer Preiss’s small intricate mix media. Despite their different approaches, the artists pair incredibly well.
If you missed The Mahler last month, you may have to wait until a later date to visit downtown’s newest gallery, that is unless you have a ticket. Otherwise, check out their newest show, Saving The Places You Love, during their normal business hours another day. Their special ticketed opening is to benefit the Conservation Trust for North Carolina (UPDATE: Tickets available at the door). Next door, The Raleigh City Museum will have free food and entertainment courtesy of The Mint and The Southern String Band for the opening of the second round of Portraits of Raleigh.
There a handful of shows around town featuring numerous artists with a theme. Rebus Works is featuring nine artists in Outlaws and Wild Animals: Prints from Across the U.S.A., curated by Bill Flick. Aside from being an Assistant Professor at Duke University and director of Cockeyed Press, Flick also is one of the nine featured artists. Lump has a great assemblage of artists, each with their own unique approach to the idiom from which the show takes its name, Middle of Nowhere. Visual Art Exchange has Scope: The NC Landscape, a photography exhibit Juried by David Steel, Curator of European Art at the NC Museum of Art. Designbox is featuring 10 artists in NonCom (Non-Comissioned), a show dealing with similarities and differences between for-hire and personal works.
Adam Cave Fine Art will feature four artists working in different mediums as part of Shaping Nature. Additionally, Adam Cave and Capital Bank have coordinated an exhibit called The Art of Math & Language at 333 Fayeteville St. featuring the art of Wayne Taylor and Merrill Shatzman, but be early because the Capital Bank Plaza Gallery closes at 7. Adam Cave is not the only person transforming a downtown space to art gallery this month. indieNC has begun curating artist installations and “shop local” exhibits in empty storefront windows in Raleigh & Durham, beginning with 230 Fayetteville St., the Empire Property-owned space next to The Mahler. This first go round will be themed “Shop Local North Carolina,” designed by Michelle Smith and Reagan Wood and featuring locals AHPeele and Sew Bliss Sew amongst regional designers. Future installations will also include store fronts with purely art installations.
Holly Aiken has collaborated with Casey Porn and David Eichenberger to create a new line of bags. Drop by Stitch for the unveiling of the latest in the Cahoots series. Get Dressed just bought out Durham’s Anti-Mall, so they have a huge lot of unique retail. To celebrate, they will be open from 5-10 with live music this First Friday. Don’t forget AHPeele’s Traffic Jam, featuring an art show Friday night and a flea market of sorts on Saturday. As for the late night scene, DJs Thien, Prince, Son of Sam, and special guest Ill Digitz will be blazing the 1’s and 2’s at Five Star for Blacklisted.
More exhibits, such as woodblock prints at Morning Times and several of the shows at Artspace, are on our guide and map.
First Friday Map and Guide to the Art Exhibitions >
Winterfield by Gretchen Morrissey at Artspace
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