First Friday tradition celebrates local artists

On the first Friday of every month, locals gather in downtown Flagstaff to support art galleries, restaurants and shops and to enjoy live music. The ArtWalk, hosted from 6-9 p.m., is a collaboration between vendors and restaurants that invites visitors to explore exhibits and support local businesses and creators.

Beginning in downtown’s Heritage Square, participants can find maps that showcase the various galleries, shops, bars and restaurants that open their doors for First Friday events. Many participating businesses reside within a block of the square.

One stop on the map, a co-op gallery by the name of The Artist’s Gallery, is responsible for originating First Friday traditions nearly 30 years ago.

Stephen Yazzie, a Navajo silversmith and painter, gave insight to the history behind the tradition.

“What it was really, was the artists coming together, amongst themselves, and just talking about their art,” Yazzie said. “They would start staying open a little bit longer, and sometimes the crowds would come in and they would meet the artists every first Friday.”

As more people began to attend, other galleries downtown opened at the same time until eventually, First Friday grew into the event it is today.

Joni Pevarnik, founding member and current manager of The Artists’ Gallery, also shared some of the history behind the event.

“A woman named Patty Ortiz started it probably 23 years ago,” Pevarnik said. “It was just a small little event and there were probably four little galleries involved. We had to push the plan and let the community know about it and it has just grown and grown and grown, and now, starting up from a few little galleries and us promoting it, the whole downtown is really involved in it.”

Although the event started with only one gallery, more than 20 businesses now participate in First Friday.

Sonja London-Hall, a glass and mixed-media artist, was part of the team that promoted the event in the hopes more people would become involved.

“A group of galleries got together via [The Artists’ Gallery’s] leadership at the time and created a handmade map for locals to enjoy,’’ London-Hall said. “West of the Moon Gallery and Arizona Handmade are also a big part of Art Walk.”

Pevarnik also mentioned West of the Moon Gallery and Arizona Handmade when discussing the growth of the live music scene at First Friday events.

“Sometimes Ed Kabotie plays, who is a very loved musician in this community, because he’s one of our artists,” Pevarnik said. “Another one of our artists, Elias Marshall, plays music as well.”

Other local bands such as Happiness Brigade and NAU Faculty Jazz had the opportunity to perform at Fire on the Mountain Gallery and Flagstaff Brewing Company.

With hours more accessible to the public, First Friday is centered around art and the artists that run the galleries.

“First Friday is an opportunity for galleries to feature their works and their artists with hours open past the regular day,” London-Hall said. “It is well known in town as an event. It is important because our local artists and art are the focus. The City of Flagstaff, Creative

Flagstaff, East Side Art Experience and The Artists Coalition of Flagstaff are all important arts supporters and groups in our town.”

Many artists involved in these events have grown up in Flagstaff, its surrounding areas or have lived in the area for a number of years.

London-Hall has been a Flagstaff resident for nearly 30 years and a participating member of the gallery for 20 of those years.

With most of the artists calling northern Arizona their home, the influences of this area can be seen in much of the artwork on display.

“Just being in northern Arizona, the colors of the desert areas and the beautiful blue skies up there have really gotten into my psyche and those are the colors I use in my cups and my bowls,” Pevarnik said.

Yazzie often uses rocks and minerals found in northern Arizona as the focus of his jewelry, with the most common being royston turquoise.

“I love royston because it has a little vein through it,” Yazzie said. “To me it always looks like a bird’s eye view of a river going through a canyon.”

Events like First Friday are a great way to bring community members together and promote local businesses.

“WHAT IT WAS REALLY, WAS THE ARTISTS COMING TOGETHER, AMONGST THEMSELVES, AND JUST TALKING ABOUT THEIR ART. THEY WOULD START STAYING OPEN A LITTLE BIT LONGER, AND SOMETIMES THE CROWDS WOULD COME IN AND THEY WOULD MEET THE ARTISTS EVERY FIRST FRIDAY.”

Pevarnik discussed the freedom of artists to create and collaborate with each other, influencing and strengthening the sense of community in Flagstaff.

“Artists work together and they often influence each other,” Pevarnik said. “I often see painters working with each other and helping each other out. It’s a great place for growth if you want to really flourish as an artist.”

While it may not be the heart of the Flagstaff art community, First Friday is an excellent way for the community to get involved in the art scene downtown.

“It’s a great opportunity for people to enjoy each other and almost have a street party and meet the artists that work in the gallery,” Pevarnik said. “Oftentimes many of our artists are there for that evening. It’s a very ‘party’ atmosphere and people are dressed up and they get to integrate with the artists and have a one-on-one to get to know us a little bit.”

Although it started as a way for artists to find time to share their artwork with each other, First Friday has now grown into a community event that allows community members to discover the art scene of Flagstaff while enjoying a night out downtown.