A night of live music and fine art displays doesn't have to cost you a dime in downtown.
Not at the Downtown First Friday Festival anyway. On the first Friday of every month, the community can count on touring informal art galleries and listening to music.
The Art Promenade and Concert in the Park series is a downtown revival that transforms the Beach Street shopping strip into a series of galleries for local artists to exhibit work. Folks can talk shop, wander and watch artist demonstrations, and listen to local and area bands play at Riverfront Park.
Besides providing free, public entertainment, the festival works also accomplishes a few other things, said Naomi Weiss, organizer and executive director for the Daytona Beach Partnership Association.
First Fridays showcase existing businesses and available retail locations that lend out display space. It also makes art more accessible to everyday people by providing space for artists to show their work.
"It's an opportunity to connect artists to the community," Weiss said.
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If You Go
WHAT: Downtown First Friday Festival Art Promenade and Concert in the Park
WHEN: Friday, May 1, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
WHERE: Downtown Daytona, Beach Street area from International Speedway Boulevard to Orange Avenue
INFO: Free! Meander through galleries and check out live music. Some food and drink offered at select locations. |
This Friday features works from the Art League of Daytona Beach, the Museum of Arts and Sciences and the Southeast Museum of Photography from Daytona State College. Photojournalists and multimedia producers will also be showing images and video from Three8six.com, a local entertainment Web site powered by The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Music wise, visitors can check out the Halifax Contraband, a folksy swamp music band that weaves tales of Florida history into song.
Roughly 300 people attend the fests, which feature about eight gallery stops.
Amelie Rogers, director of the Art League of Daytona Beach, said the group will display more than 30 paintings and at least six sculptures. Since participating in two other fests, the League, the oldest arts organization in the area, gained new members and art students.
"It's a great chance to meet some artists and to see their work, have a glass of wine and talk about the Art League," said Rogers, who will be showing eight of her own landscape oil paintings on May 1.
It's also a good venue to expose young adults to the local arts scene.
The event is attracting a younger crowd in their 20s and 30s to the area, said Axel Smith, owner of Beach Street Blooms.
His storefront was one of the busiest at the last event, where visitors were treated to a glass of wine as they toured about 30 paintings and three sculptures.
The artists got to talk about their work, while he got to distribute information his own company, which specializes in designing floral creations.
"I would say, for the most part it's brought quite a bit of business," said Smith, who regularly features local artwork at the store to not only beautify his store, but help the artists get exposure.
Don Renner sees it as an opportunity to foster conversation and ease the intimidation factor people may have with certain types of art. That's why he'll be demonstrating portrait painting throughout the evening.
"Anytime you bring art in front of the public I think it's worthwhile--especially now, in the condition the country is in," said Renner, who teaches at the Art League.
(Photos from April 3rd Downtown First Friday Festival by Lukas Harden)