Downtown Raleigh Alliance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Tracey Lovejoy
traceylovejoy@downtownraleigh.org
919-832-1231

Friday, March 2, 2007 will kick-off the re-invigorated First Friday Gallery Walk. Come join the thousands of people who already enjoy this very popular gallery walk and see how it has changed. First Friday is a free event that is open to the public and attracts hundreds of people to downtown the first Friday of every month. The First Friday Gallery Walk offers the public an opportunity to enjoy the openings of new gallery exhibitions, eat downtown and explore the art community.

What’s new about First Friday is the coordinated effort that was created after years of Raleigh arts organizations and restaurants talking about the need for a cohesive First Friday effort. For the March 2nd kick-off there will be a new guide/map that lists all of the 48 participating galleries, retail outlets and restaurants.  The guide/maps will also highlight the First Friday Specials now offered by the restaurants and bars.  The map/guides will be produced twice a year, with the next publication coming out in July. All of these establishments will have the map/guides available as well as an official First Friday flag (see attached) displayed outside their building. The displayed flag will enable patrons to walk down the street and visually identify event participants.

Another new aspect of First Friday will be the quarterly auctioning of the Fayetteville Street art banners. The banners are created by local artists and hung on Fayetteville Street for several months. Select ‘angel’ banners will be available to the public at the auction. The silent auction of these beautiful banners will be held on March 2nd at the Raleigh City Museum from 6:00 to 9:00 pm.

The brainchild of Raleigh Arts Commissioner, Jessie Cannon, the art banners are a wonderful way for local artists to display their work. “I am so pleased that the response from our local artists has been so positive” said Jessie Cannon, Raleigh Arts Commissioner. Half the proceeds will go back to the artists and the other half will fund future quarterly banners along Fayetteville Street. Throughout the year, the banners will be auctioned off at The Raleigh City Museum during the First Friday Gallery Walks.

A cohesive First Friday web-site will serve as an additional source of information about the visual arts in Raleigh. It is hoped that this enhancement program will create a sense of cohesiveness among participating businesses and increase public awareness of the event in downtown.

For additional information, please visit http://www.godowntownraleigh.com/event-detail.cfm?id=843&month=3&year=2007.