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the F-Word and the B-Word
Topics: first fridays, nightlife, Bakersfield, art, music
Posted by scruff Wed Dec 23, 2009 16:27:37 PST
Viewed 168 times
0 responses 2 comments Location: 19th street and Eye street, Bakersfield, CA 93301

If you are wondering what F-word this article is talking about, its “First Fridays."  First Fridays, also known as art-walk, are an art experience that happens every first Friday of each month. All the art galleries in a city open their doors for the public to see art for free. Usually art exhibits have a cover charge, but not on First Fridays. The experience happens in many places around the country, including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Bakersfield.

Here in Bakersfield, First Friday is a block party that happens in the arts district of Downtown Bakersfield, which is on 19th and Eye Street from 5-9 p.m. It’s a great way to spend a Friday evening. First Fridays, in Bakersfield, started in 2006, and since its birth, the street has been repaved to be more accessible to pedestrians. Some participating galleries include, but are not limited to, the Metro Gallery at 1604 19th street, and the Surface Gallery 1703 20th Street. Businesses in the area also show art from local artists. The public can walk into galleries and businesses to see art made from local artists, ride a horse drawn carriage, or see artists right out on the street showing and selling their work. Live music is played in the area.  Some artists even draw or paint right there on the street. A handful of artists seen on the scene are a part of a new non-profit organization called Bakersfield Emerging Contemporary Artists, or BECA for short, selling and showing everything from paintings to dolls, photography to sidewalk chalk drawings, jewelry to greeting cards.

BECA was founded in 2009 by local Bakersfield artist Nyoka Jameson. It was born from the bonds made in an art show called Burn the Witch. (By the way, Burn the Witch just had its fourth annual exhibit in October.) The mission of BECA is to promote emerging Bakersfield visual artists by offering seminars (like art-mentals where classes were only $5 and they included color theory, portfolio review, and how to make a jedi robe) classes, group exhibitions (like Burn the Witch and Fields and Foreclosures) and quarterly trips to contemporary galleries. BECA inspires the creation of art and advances the careers of local artists. If you are a local artist, and looking to join in energizing our arts community in Bakersfield, we would love to have you join us. You can find us on Myspace at myspace.com/activism4artists or you can become a fan on facebook. Some other places you might have seen BECA is Bakersfield Comic Con and Villa Arté.  Look for us at the next First Friday!

 

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Comment From: jenraven

the F-word I'm thinking here is 'Fantastic!' Great article. :) Comment From: sweetchristina

good job lady! you weren't kidding about needing to get an article out were you!? can't wait to see what you come up with next.