Richmond, Virginia First Fridays

I went into Richmond for First Fridays this past... um... Friday. The event has grown a lot since I went a few years ago, and has changed tremendously over the last 10 years.

Sidewalk lights in front of 1708 Gallery

Pretty, and safe to walk on too!

I went down specifically to see a piece by one of my favorite artists, Lynette Shelley. Lynette emailed me to let me know she would have a piece on display at Art 6 Gallery, and I had to make it a point to go see it. I've been a fan of Lynette's for years, but this is the first piece I got to see in person.

Art 6 Gallery. 6 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA

The gallery was pretty packed. There was not only artwork, but a performance by the Latin Ballet of Virginia.

Latin Ballet of Virginia performs on landing at top of stairs at Art 6 Gallery

As it turns out, the performance was being video taped. And where did the intrepid camera man decide to set up? Right in front of Lynette's piece!

My view blocked by a videographer, capturing the Latin Ballet of Virginia performance!

The videographer and the DJ who had been hired for the evening both loved Lynette's piece. The DJ even had had the time to view her work online that morning, and was a big fan. The videographer graciously moved his camera for me.

Bird of Truth, 16"x20"

Afterwards, my wife and I stopped by Gallery 5 to take in a bit of the fire show:

Poi spinning has become popular in Richmond over the past several years

Music, spinning, and random fireball bursts

There was a side alley that had a number of artist vendor booths. Lantern making seemed to be a hit of the evening.

Vegan Cupcakes and Tacos were on the Menu

And I finally got to see some of the murals that were done during the G40 Art Summit in April.