1
. Drink Philly
239 Chestnut Street,
2nd Floor Unit B
RSVP @ philly.thedrinknation.com
5-9 pm
21+
FREE
Getting there: Take the Market Frankford line to 2nd Street.
Start off your weekend the right way and make Drink Philly one of your definite stops on
your First Friday tour. These beer connoisseurs will be offering free beer, Milkboy food
samples, and jazz band melodies. Further enticement comes in the form of eye-catching
art by featured local artists. Philadelphians looking at Britt Miller’s work will instantly
recognize familiar sights such as the city skyline and the LOVE sculpture reinterpreted
through her brightly colored vision. For a more microscopic view, take in Angela
McQuillan’s showcase of complex and dazzling cellular structures created through mixed
media and an occasional dash of glitter.
2. The North Bowl
909 North 2nd Street
9-11 pm
FREE
Getting there: Take the Market Frankford line to 2nd Street.
If you’re searching for a later night version of First Friday and more opportunities to
munch on complimentary snacks, then head over to North Bowl bar, which will be
hosting an exhibit intriguingly named “10,000 Maniacs, 8 Million Stories.” What do
we remember from our daily lives? And how do we filter through all our experiences to
figure out what’s important? The show revolves around such questions and the theme
of quotidian conversations and interactions as important parts of our lives. Mix with
some maniacs and enjoy works of urban storytelling by artists Steven Speir and Bradford
Haubrich.
3. Souvenirs
Locks Gallery
600 Washington Square South
5:30-7:30 pm
FREE
Getting there: Take the Market Frankford line to 8th Street.
For a more traditional First Friday gallery viewing, check out Locks Gallery’s opening
reception for “Souvenirs.” No, it won’t be those kitsch Eiffel Tower key-chains on
display, but you will see subtly beautiful contemporary artworks such as those by Hilary
Berseth whose inorganically created metal objects nevertheless evoke the natural world.
If you’re a fan of Jackson Pollock, you might enjoy Pat Steir’s waterfalls and rivulets
of dripping paint. Among the various artworks that compose this exhibition, nature
seems to be the common motif, sometimes starkly portrayed and at other times abstractly
referenced.
4. First Light Last Light
Vox Populi
319 North 11th Street, 3rd Floor
6-11 pm
FREE
Getting there: Take the Market Frankford Line to 11th Street.
Last but not certainly not least, if you’re in the mood for something cutting-edge, don’t
miss the opening night performance of “First Light Last Light,” part of the Tropiclipse
exhibit at Vox Populi. Artists Jeffrey Kurosaki and Tara Pelletier will mix real time
action and video and do some rather interesting things to a tree to produce what they
call sculpture-landscapes. If you want something more concrete though, another
exhibition that will be opening on February 1 is Lily Cox-Richard’s series of sculptures
that reinterpret the neoclassical work of Hiram Powers. Four shows will be opening
simultaneously so rest assured that you will have much to contemplate at Vox Populi.
