It's First Friday again. Yikes.

images above from BLOCK BLINK, clockwise from left by Tracy Spencer, Stephen Gardner, Shonna Greenwell, and Paul Friedrich.

Tonight (at my places of business)
1. BLOCK BLINK at the Miriam BLOCK Gallery-- a fun, informal, tiny exhibition of camera phone photos that I hope will continue to grow throughout the run of the show, culminating in a slideshow coinciding with the lecture, PHOTO: Past, Present, Future on May 8. The opening reception will be held from 5 - 7 pm. Read more over at New Raleigh here. (Thanks, David!)
2. Structure + Color pastel drawings by Abie Harris at Rebus Works, opening reception from 6-10 pm. See more infomation at our website.
3. The other half (okay, seven-eighths) of the Miriam Block Gallery is The Importance of Place, featuring the photos of Russell Gorga, who a Raleigh photographer (and engineering professor at NCSU). This is a giant collection of work, featuring photos from Gorga's travels, creatively composed, and honestly captured.

Tonight: Elsewhere
4. Looking Back (see a few posts down) at Artspace is still up, and absolutely worth a visit! Stacey Kirby will be "performing" (that isn't quite the word I'm looking for, but hey, it's early!) the Declaration Project again.
5. Heroes at Lump. Curated by Laura Sharp Wilson and elin o'Hara slavick, this is a "group exhibition of work by 47 artists who explore heroes/heroines in their work." Via their website.
5. Honestly, this is all I really know about, but I'm sure the usual suspects (VAE, Morning Times, Designbox, Flanders 311) all have great shows too!

First Friday version 03.08, part 2

3. Artspace's current Regional Emerging Artist-in-Residence

Casey Porn will celebrate month two this First Friday. As beneficial as the residency is for the artist, I think it's equally good for Artspace, and their artists. It keep things fresh, and moving forward (clearly evidenced in the artists exhibiting in Looking Back). I covet Casey's work-- hilariously adorable animals, bright colors, all skillfully rendered. And the titles-- wow. I believe Casey will have quite a bit of new work, so even if you saw her last month, stop by.

4. Shaun Richards @ Designbox, Click Clique

A founding member of the 311 Studios, Shaun is also a veteran of the Regional Emerging Artist-in Residence. Combining classic painting styles with collage (his paint chip work is really neat) and new imagery, Shaun's paintings are very interesting. I think these "constructs" are smaller in scale, so it should be a departure from what's been exhibited in Raleigh thus far. You can read more, and see a few images here. Click Clique, March 7—March 31, 323 West Martin Street, opening reception from 7-10 pm

First Friday version 03.08, part 1

So excited about this week o'art:

1. Looking Back at Artspace: A collection of work, performance, and installation from the incredibly talented alumni of the Regional Emerging Artist Residency circa 2000-2004. The ladies of Artspace have done a fabulous job of putting the exhibition together, and it's gaurenteed to be a worthwhile First Friday stop. really looks killer, and includes a few of my most favorite City of Oaks artists:

Stacey Kirby, who happens to be a studiomate of mine, presents The Declaration Project: Artspace, a "performative interaction and installation/" Stacey and I seem to share a similar love of vintage office equipment, paper, cataloging, and an interest, in well, things, so I'm really, really, looking forward to this. This is, I think, the third version of the Declaration Project, having previously been installed/performed at Headlands and at Blam. It's funded through a grant from the United Arts Council.

I happily sit beneath this painting, Raleigh Saw, by Luke Buchanan, in my office. It was a great surprise on my first day of work, and it felt a bit like a familar face in an unfamilar place. I've long admired Luke's paintings--can't wait to see his contributions to this exhibition.

I'm also looking forward André Leon Gray's work and am anxious to see what Lauren Adams cooks up-- I was blown away by Bread & Bullets (complete with subversive toile!) at NCMA during the CrossCurrents show a couple of years ago. I'm hoping to see some more of Anna Podris' encaustics. I really feel like she's found her stride with those-- richly layered and well-resolved. Her blog features step-by-step photos of the process.

Other exhibiting artists with whom I'm less familiar include Laura Hatcher Allen, Tisha Edwards, Huong Ngo, and Meredith Sutton. With the company they keep, their work is sure to be stellar. Hopefully I can report back next week. Check out the Artspace page for more information. They'll be open (and performing!) from 6-9:30 this Friday, March 7. The exhibition runs through April 11.

2. Rebus Works (where I happily work): Black Valentine by Tiffany O'Brien, through March 26.

We've got special music-- two solo sets, one by Eddie Taylor of the Loners, and one by Ivan Howard of the Rosebuds. The music should start around 8:00. Open our normal First Friday hours, 6-10 pm.

Check back for Part II on Thursday!