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Strollin' First Friday
Expand your cultural palate and discover what most of Bakersfield has been missing! Next one - May 1st!

By Yellow, Bakotopia.com Contributor

Art is highly subjective and contemplative and truth be told, I'm fond of the really bad stuff.
 
No matter what, art will get you talking, thinking, and when it's at its best, art will make you feel.

I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised when I attended First Friday on April 3, and found that there was art I was fond of, interested in, and didn't understand...but I felt it - that's a "full art experience".

The casual community atmosphere of First Friday welcomes all walks of life amid the inspiring backdrop of downtown. The "Arts District" banners on the street lights, the vivid Art Deco neon marquee of the Fox, and the juxtaposition of art and music above, below, and on the street gave the experience dimension.

An accomplished mandolin player that didn't know which was the E string, artists creating paintings in real time, neophytes and socialites alike admiring the art...the essence of downtown.



I did sense a certain self-consciousness to viewing art in a gallery setting. Maybe Bakersfield hasn't caught on yet?

More to the point, I discovered a kind of innocence and confusion that speaks to the fact that many people haven't seen art presented at this level of sophistication, and I was encouraged by that fact.  First Friday offers an opportunity for the artist, musicians, and gallery owners of Bakersfield to expose people to this type of creativity and community, and that's a great thing.

I started the tour at the Surface Gallery across from the Fox Theatre.



Small enough to be intimate, the Surface Gallery enjoys a great location.  The gallery showcased the art of Michelle Moode ("Very Long Lines"), which evoked a sense of flow and continuity.

Next on the tour was the Metro Gallery, but I was distracted by the musicians at the newly renovated corner of 19th and Eye St.  I love that intersection!  I also really appreciate people that offer their music as a backdrop to a larger event.  I enjoyed them so much that I forgot about the Metro and started looking at the paintings (offered at discount prices,) lining the side walk.

That led me to The Basement Gallery - full of primary colors, abstract objects and earnest scenesters doing their thing.  What's not to love?



Back the Metro - showing the works of Christine Iriarte Niswonger ("Red Hot & Random").  Think Dali, Apocalypse Now and the '66 "Endless Summer" album cover with gentle floral water colors.  The Metro is large enough to allow a perspective view.  Looking at a painting over the shoulder of an androgynous nude rendered in clay - that's worth the trip.



Lastly, I stopped in at Tangerine Clothing and discovered that Tangerine sells TOMS Shoes.  TOMS donates a pair of shoes to needy children in crisis, around the world, for every pair of shoes they sell.  That's inspiring.

I do think that First Fridays start and end too early (5 - 9 p.m.,) for a once-a-month event.

Another suggestion would be that the Fox have a late showing of FLICS to accommodate the events of First Friday.  The Arts Council of Kern, as well as the Bakersfield Convention and Visitors Bureau should also endeavor to spread the word more effectively.

That being said, I enjoyed myself and look forward to next month.
Don't miss the next First Friday - held the first Friday of each month, from 5 to 9 p.m. on 19th & Eye Streets in downtown! Next one - May 1st!

Also Printed in Bakotopia magazine, issue 52, 4-16-09