Arts

First Friday has reshaped the cultural and artistic scene downtown and has anchored the Arts District since its inception in 2002.

It has become a staple of the Las Vegas events scene, drawing new artists and talent to the area, as well as bringing locals out to walk the streets, mingle and convene; juxtaposing middle-aged art connoisseurs, families, yuppies, punk rock kids and everyone in between.

Born out of one determined woman's idea to bring a voice and exposure to the arts community in Las Vegas, First Friday has contributed greatly to the creation of an environment conducive to creativity and fun.

Today, First Friday is the premier monthly art festival in Las Vegas. It takes place in the 18b Arts District, named after the original 18 blocks it occupied in downtown Las Vegas and boasts anywhere between 5,000 and 10,000 visitors per event. It offers up to 80 venues: art galleries and studios; food and drink, plus stores and more, along with as many as 50 outdoor artists and entertainers.

The event has grown out of its original 18 blocks and is now a 24-block, polygon-shaped zone with an urban mix of residential, cultural and commercial uses; bounded by Commerce and Fourth streets on the west, Hoover and Colorado avenues on the northern edges and Las Vegas Boulevard North to Charleston on the southeastern side.

Only 7 years ago, the event started out with more humble beginnings.

First Friday was created out of an inspiring visit to an art festival in Portland, Ore. where current First Friday Board President Cindy Funkhouser attended a community art event and grew convinced that this was exactly what the art scene in Las Vegas needed. After relocating to Las Vegas in 1984 from Iowa, Funkhouser settled in and opened a small but thriving antique store - The Funk House, located on Casino Center Boulevard in downtown Las Vegas. An avid supporter of the arts, she began by displaying local art in her store and ultimately became the visionary, driving force who created and shaped the First Friday event into what it is today.

Regardless of the daunting size of such a project, Funkhouser set out to organize the inaugural grassroots art event, which took place on October 4, 2002, and the first First Friday event drew 10 art exhibits and 300 visitors.

Soon after, Whirlygig Inc., a Nevada arts nonprofit company, was formed to oversee the organization and the growth of First Friday with Funkhouser at the helm of the 11-member board. Local gallery owner Naomi Arin serves as board vice president, and the assistant company manager for Cirque du Soleil, Danielle Rodenkirchen, is board secretary.

Although, in its initial stages, First Friday was a small, organic festival, it quickly grew too large for Whirlygig Inc. to organize and support on its own. Funkhouser garnered the support of the Nevada Arts Council and Mayor Oscar Goodman, who immediately saw the value in First Friday's contribution to the fabric of the Las Vegas downtown environment - undoubtedly its economy, too.

Goodman, a longtime champion of the downtown revitalization efforts to create an "urban village" environment, proclaimed, "First Friday is the best thing that has ever happened to Las Vegas."

It is the mayor's vision to create a rich downtown experience; one filled with a wide range of small businesses, boutiques, fine dining, bookshops, art galleries and lively venues in order to create a trendy, eclectic, metropolitan downtown neighborhood where the public can engage in dialogue and exchange ideas. The ultimate goal: creation of a place where Las Vegans can work, play and call home.

Over the years, the Nevada Arts Council has been instrumental in contributing funding for the well-established festival, and the City of Las Vegas Office of Cultural Affairs still continues to provide the required infrastructure, event coordination and consulting support for six out of 12 events of the year.

As the popularity, size of the event and resulting costs continued to grow, the organizers instituted a small entry charge to access the pedestrian-only areas of the event including the performance stages and street fair displays.

Over the years, First Friday has drawn a wide range of local artists and musicians to display their creativity in the various galleries, studios and walkways. One of the major hubs in the area is the Arts Factory, which is home to more than 20 of the most prominent artists, professionals and art galleries in the district, including Trifecta Gallery, Studio West Photography, Cricket Studios, Niki J. Sands Contemporary Fine Art and the celebrated Paymon's Mediterranean Bistro. Every month, thousands meander through the open doors and the art-filled, winding gallery spaces of the Arts Factory to preview the latest works on display by local artists.

At the southernmost corner of the 18b Arts District are the Commerce Street studios, a place to call home for several artists groups: The Fallout Gallery, Elizabeth Blau Studios, Wendy Kveck Studio, Circadian Studios and Naked City Tattoo. In addition to the numerous resident artists, the Arts District is home to a few dozen unique restaurants, stores and shops dotted throughout the area, including the Gypsy Den, The Attic (made famous through entertainment media), Master Craft Furniture and William's Costume.

Despite all efforts, the funding for First Friday has been stretched to its limits so much so that the June, July and August events had to eliminate the customary street closures for pedestrian activities. As a result, the artists' exhibits are being reduced to approximately 18 instead of the usual 30; the performance stages have been reduced from three to a single stage, and the street performers will be few, if not entirely eliminated.

On any given First Friday, it was commonplace to find a wide range of artists and musicians lining the streets and sidewalks, displaying all manner of art - sometimes in even unimaginable mediums, including performance art. Street performers have included break dancers, fire breathers, Argentine tango dancers, fortune tellers, musicians and DJs.

And no event in Las Vegas would be complete without the after party. Beauty Bar is one of the most popular destinations once the evening events come to a close; other spots are Dino's Lounge and Frankie's Tiki Room, where locals and visitors head down for dancing, karaoke and specialty drinks to wind down or start the night.

First Friday is a culture, and countless locals and frequent visitors expect to enjoy themselves on this designated night, each month, without fail. It is still unclear if the street fair aspect of the event will come back in the fall months, as it entirely depends on Whirlygig's summertime fundraising efforts, which has been dependent upon sponsors, individual contributions, private funds and event supporters.

Hopes are high with both attendees and organizers that the street fair portion of First Friday will be back in full swing by late summer or early autumn and that the event will continue to thrive despite the downturn. It is difficult to imagine the event fading away in its entirety. More likely, it will hibernate in its reduced size and budget before making a re-emergence of its former grandeur in the better economic years to come.

Aaron Archer, a local musician-composer, who has performed at First Friday street fairs and attended the event frequently since its early years, stated: "It's great to just play out in the open for whoever happens to wander by... Vegas needs street fairs because there's such a lack of culture."

Archer is optimistic about the future of what he calls "a unified event for the arts community" but offers his insights on returning to its origins.

"I like it better when it's more free and open, less structure. It started off interesting, but it really got corporate - gates and admission. I stopped going, but I went recently and there was a good turnout. It was more organic, like when it got started," Archer continued, adding a suggestion to up the amount of music groups to get more attendees.

"Local bands do have their own crowds that they could draw."

So it seems that despite First Friday's rapid growth, weakened funding and difficult times, which may paint a blurred picture of its future, it won't tone down the public's love for its Las Vegas street fair and art festival. First Friday events are announced for September 4 and October 2 from 6 p.m. - 10 p.m., as usual. For more information or ways to support the event, visit www.FirstFriday-LasVegas.org.