Live music, live art and a blockbuster film make Founders Park the place to be July 7 for First Friday Art Walk.
There are a total of 13 venues open for Art Walk, a monthly effort in which galleries and businesses line up arts-related events across downtown Springfield. The public is encouraged to walk around the neighborhood and pop into galleries in what organizers call a “self-guided tour.” Venues are open for variable hours between 5 and 10 p.m.
Music, art and ‘Top Gun: Maverick' at Founders Park
Springfield-based rock band Maximum Weekend will provide the soundtrack for First Friday at Founders Park (330 E. Water St.), which runs from 6-8:30 p.m. Marissa Bradley and Emma Renfroe will be creating live art while the band plays.
But don’t leave once the music’s done. That’s when it’s time for Free Movies in the Park. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and catch a screening of “Top Gun: Maverick.” The screening starts at dusk, around 9 p.m. Concessions are available for purchase on-site. Guests are asked not to bring alcohol, tobacco or pets.
‘The Figure, Reclaimed' at the Carolla Arts Exhibition Center
The Robert & Margaret Carolla Arts Exhibition Center (326 N. Boonville Ave.) presents “The Figure, Reclaimed,” a co-curatorial project with Jodi McCoy, Director of Exhibitions, and Mara Cressey, Graduate Assistant. The exhibition celebrates and explores the renaissance of the female body and the female figurative painter in visual culture.
“Through the work of Aneka Ingold and Livia Xandersmith, this exhibition explores how female figurative painters have combined the traditional art of figurative painting with contemporary, stylized approaches to redefine and expand upon what it means to be a figurative painter, ruminate on the female experience, and how representations of the female body are consumed,” a press release said.
The Carolla Arts Exhibition Center will be open from 6-9 p.m.
Formed: An Artist Collective celebrates its half-birthday
Help Formed: An Artist Collective (210 E. Walnut St.) celebrate its half-birthday. There will be new art by Andi Snethern, Alicia Mau and Janelle Patterson on display, and artist Misty Lane will debut her new gallery space. Enjoy refreshments, live music by the Bold Deniers and meet some of the artists from 6-9 p.m.
Forming Art Studios (330 South Ave.), meanwhile, will have live portraits by artist Sophie Bryan and live music by Tony Menown from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Fresh Gallery welcomes two new artists
Deana Markus and Carolyn Carrigan are the two newest artists at Fresh Gallery (401 N. Boonville). You can meet them, enjoy refreshments and take part in a scavenger hunt with a $50 gift card grand prize.
This month’s featured artist at Fresh Gallery is painter Jason Martin.
“Through color and well-balanced design, Jason strives to bring feelings of joy, happiness, and optimism into people’s lives,” a press release said. “He believes bright, lively art can lift an individual’s or a gathering’s spirit.”
“Well-thought-out artistic creations touch us on the subconscious level and have a powerful ability to lift our mood,” Martin said.
‘Unfolding the Map’ at Brick City Gallery
Brick City Gallery (215 W. Mill St.) continues its ongoing emeritus series with “Unfolding the Map,” a show by Sharon Harper. It features work in painting, drawing, ceramics and crochet. The show creates a personal narrative of Harper’s own life experiences through visual metaphors and self-portraits.
Other venues for July’s First Friday Art Walk are:
- BookMarx, 325 E. Walnut St., Suite 101
- Hold Fast Brewing, 235 N. Kimbrough Ave.
- Hotel Vandivort, 305 E. Walnut St.
- J.L. Long Traders, 318 W. Walnut St.
- Obelisk Home, 214 W. Phelps St., Suite 101
- Park Central Branch Library, 128 Park Central Square
- Transformation Gallery & Tattoo, 330 E. Walnut St.
For more information, visit the official First Friday Art Walk website, or find them on Facebook.
