First Friday Downtown is always a happening scene to celebrate the arts. With so many nearby galleries, exhibit spaces, retailers and nonprofits filled with openings, receptions and performances, downtown Colorado Springs is a don’t-miss setting for the free, monthly ArtWalk.
This month’s celebration on March 4 features painting, sculpture, printmaking, fashion, live music and various demonstrations that will provide unique cultural engagement for the whole family.
First Friday Downtown Highlights
Here are a few of the highlights for this month. You can find a full listing of March First Friday Downtown events at www.downtowncs.com/firstfriday.
1350 Distilling presents The Art of Alcohol
1350 Distilling (520 E Pikes Peak Ave.) presents local artists “Q” and “Robbie”, both of whom employ alcohol and alcohol production elements such as wine, whiskey and whiskey barrels to create wood and watercolor art. Exclusive First Friday confections are available to preorder for $7 and include treats from Snowberry Bakery and Happy Hour Donuts. 1350 will be open from 5-9 p.m. Preorder treats and learn more here.
Vintage VIBES
Coralun Vintage (328 1/2 N Nevada Ave.) makes a First Friday comeback with VIBE, a First Friday monthly event celebrating vintage fashion. Attendees are invited to wear their funkiest attire and explore a rotating selection of upcycled threads while grooving to a live DJ spinning throwback tunes. Open 5-7 p.m. More information is available here.
FAC Free Admission, New Exhibit and Old Hollywood Comedy
The Colorado Springs Fine Art Center at Colorado College (30 W Dale St.) will offer free admission on First Friday from 5-7 p.m. Artists Kukuli Velarde (CORPUS) and Juan Roberto Diago (The Pasts of this Afro-Cuban Present) present thought-provoking work inspired by the history of colonialism in their respective countries.
Want to make an evening of it? Explore the First Friday exhibit then enjoy cocktails and small plates in the Deco Lounge before taking in a show. Reserve tickets for “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark”, an incisive comedy that explores the life and career of 1930s black film actress Vera Stark, shining a light on past and present-day Hollywood and American culture. Show begins 7:30 p.m. Reserve tickets here. First Friday exhibit details here.
Metamorphosis: The Evolving Artist
Visit the Cottonwood Center for Arts (427 E. Colorado Ave.) for a juried performance by artists across the Pikes Peak region. Metamorphosis asked artists to show a major change with two pieces: one artwork exemplifying an earlier mode/style and one showing a major shift away from that period. Two completely realized expressions. Transformation. Metamorphosis. Opening reception runs 5-8 p.m. Details here.
Ember: New Work by Shannon Dunn
Local painter Shannon Dunn explores fire in many forms in this new collection, opening at The Machine Shop (4 S. Wahsatch Ave.).
“The duality of the destructive and restorative power of a wildfire. The intimate gathering around a bonfire invites introspection and connection. The intense refining process of gold. Beauty and creation being born of fire as in diamonds and lava flow. Through this series, fire has become my personal emblem of transcendence,” she says. Diedre McCarthy of Woodshed Red will bring the musical firepower at the reception, 6-9 p.m. Details here.
Hoofin’ It With the Pigs: A curated First Friday Tour by Neon Pig Creative
New in ’22! As the new sponsor of First Friday Downtown, Neon Pig Creative has launched Hoofin’ it With the Pigs, a free First Friday tour with stops at select First Friday venues, rotating monthly. Registration is required and is limited to 15 people. More information is available atwww.downtowncs.com/firstfriday
March 4 tour is sold out. Registration for First Friday, April 1 will open mid-March.
Find the full schedule of First Friday Downtown events at www.downtowncs.com/firstfriday.
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