First Friday Art Crawl Review

EntertainmentLocal

Jan 14

Written By

By: Mikyla Khan

The wind was lightly scraping our faces on that cold December night. The rainbow of lights from Guthrie Green lit up the arts district with faint music in the air. Seven of my friends and I walked around for nearly four hours, never losing interest in the artistry around us.

In its 12th consecutive year of running, the First Friday Art Crawl ends the year with another successful event. Located in downtown Tulsa’s arts district, the first Friday of every month, families and friends come out and walk through beautifully lit downtown streets to visit art exhibits for free and shop from local vendors on the streets.

As a first-time visitor to the Art Crawl, I absolutely loved the aesthetic of downtown at night during the holidays.

Guthrie Green was blanketed in colored lights accompanied by A School of Rock Christmas performance and the Holiday Market. Vendors sat in inflated bubbles holding in whatever warmth was left at night. Most of what I saw was handmade trinkets. They were not overpriced, but slightly on the expensive side. Items for purchase range from $2 temporary tattoos, to $20 pieces of jewelry, to $3,000 pieces of art. Money is not required to enjoy, but recommended to see specific galleries and purchase art.

Fifteen galleries were open that night, I visited the Tulsa Artist Coalition, 108 Contemporary, and Zarrow. All of these galleries were free and open to the public for the night.

The Tulsa Artists Coalition featured “8 Views of Tulsa at Night” by local artist Karen St. Clair. The curators were very welcoming and willing to answer any questions. The variety of artists and their styles were easy for anyone to enjoy.

108 Contemporary had a plethora of colors and styles of art and sculptures. People of all ages were able to look at the different pieces and appreciate the craftsmanship. The galleries are rotated every month, but remains a great place to take pictures.

The Zarrow had a variety of paintings and photographs on the first floor. The third floor featured student artist galleries. Two students displayed and sold their art. It was a wonderful experience being able to personally talk to and ask the artists questions. I was able to get insight into the inspiration and creative process for creating works of art.

Overall, First Friday is a wonderful place to spend time with friends and family. The many friendly faces of artists, vendors, and art crawl goers created an atmosphere for holiday magic.

Find out more about First Friday here! The next Art Crawl is January 3^rd.

Student galleries at Zarrow (Photos by Mikyla Khan & Ashlyn Peek)