Art displayed at Blackfish Gallery.
My friend Daniel Thorpe was in town from Spokane this past week. I met Daniel at a credit union marketing conference in Las Vegas several years ago. He's a brillant creative and owns an advertising agency called Boom, and has done some commercials for Columbia Credit Union (where I work) in the past. Daniel and I both love First Thursday....the art (good and bad), the people watching, the wine.
So, a group of us from work met Daniel downtown last Thursday to brave the rain and the Rose Festival crowds to check out First Thursday in the Pearl.
We started at the Elizabeth Leach Gallery. This gallery is always interesting because, well, oddly, I always hate the art. Or, perhaps a better way to say it is, I don't "get" the art they display there. I always visit this gallery thinking I'll eventually understand their art and because they always serve wine and snacks...but hmmmm....not this week on either one...I didn't get the art (odd pieces of wood screwed together) and no wine.
Next we crossed the street to Blackfish Gallery. This space I love. I don't always get the art here either, but I have an appreciation for the talent they show. It's always interesting, unique, and thought provoking. And again, they always serve wine and snacks....great art this time...but no wine or snacks.
Daniel and Heidi at Blackfish Gallery.
Off to the PDX Gallery of Contemporary Art. This is another one I find fascinating. They often feature the work of students or up and coming artists. The gallery is divided into two spaces and I've found that one side usually has what I call "fun" art and the other side more serious stuff. They don't usually serve wine or snacks, and they didn't this week, but Daniel and I did manage to find a bowl of Hershey's minatures back behind one of the exhibits, so we munched down. Yummm.
Heidi and I having fun with art at PDX Gallery of Contemporary Art.
Next we stumbled across the cutest cafe called Mr. Jolly's. It's tiny, but warm and inviting....the interior is like what an English Earl's library would look like if his young, hip teenage daughter were decorating it. They were doing free wine tastings (finally we found wine) with appetizer pairings...both were fabulous.
Jen, TJ, Heidi and Daniel wine tasting at Mr. Jolly's.
Our last stop for the night was the Museum of Contemporary Craft. I've never been to this museum and I loved it. Lots of fabulous work all of it very different, ranging from intricate beaded pieces to a large crocheted mural with the infamous Nike swoosh (I wondered if Nike would buy this piece and display it at corporate headquarters, or throw it on the cot in the employee break room.)
Did Phil Knight's grandma crochet this?
We all had a great time, but the evening was a little odd. The crowds were much, much lighter than usual; several galleries that I always visit were gone; and no one served wine....it kind of just wasn't as "festive" as it usually is. Perhaps it was the rain...perhaps it was the economy...perhaps the galleries got tired of people spilling wine on their priceless art...who knows? I'll go again next month. Maybe when the weather's better it might pick up some....but in the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy First Friday's in Vancouver. Always a crowd, always wine and snacks, and I have to say the galleries in Vancouver have some pretty decent art to show.
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