First Fridays of the Valley

Places to Go, People to Greet, Art to Experience

The start of a brand new month offers reason enough to celebrate the richness of the arts. First Fridays of the Valley provides a framework to do that in laid-back style, with an array of participating venues offering opening art receptions; plus musical performances and more! Visual art exhibitions run the gamut from abstract and contemporary to more realistic portraits and landscapes. Plus, attending First Fridays provides a great excuse to wander by some of the growing number of public art murals, mosaics, and sculptures. Many locations showing visual art keep their exhibitions up all month, so you can pop in for a second look even after the First Fridays excitement has ended.

2024 First Fridays of the Valley Venues

Aristocat Cafe

111 N Liberty St

Arts Incarnate

75 N Mason St

ArtWorks Gallery

131 W Grace St

Asbury United Methodist Church

205 S Main St

Capitol Waffle Shop

50 S Mason St, Ste 120

Court Square Theater

41-F Court Square

Creative Art Studio and Event Center

423 N Main St - Bridgewater

Deviant Kreations

61 Court Square

Draime Fine Art Studio School

1153 S High St

Duke Hall Gallery of Fine Art

820 S Main St

Explore More Discovery Museum

150 S Main St

Firefly Emporium

16 S Main St

The Frame Factory & Gallery

139 N Liberty St #101

Friendly City Clay & Art Center

1157 S High St

Friendly City Food Co-op

150 E Wolfe St

Furious Flower Broadside Gallery

500 Cardinal Dr

The Gaines Group Architects

141 W Bruce St, Ste 201

Gift & Thrift

731 Mt Clinton Pike

The Golden Pony

181 N Main St

Green Hummingbird Fair Trade Clothing

320 S Main St

Harrisonburg Baptist Church

501 S Main St

Harrisonburg City Hall

409 S Main St

Hess Financial

380 E Market St

Horizon Gifts

60 W Market St

Hotel Madison & Shenandoah Valley Conference Center

710 S Main St

Look West Gallery at The Mark-It

125 W Water St

Mashita

105 N Liberty St

OASIS Fine Art & Craft

103 S Main St

Ott St Eats

304 S Main St

Pale Fire Brewing Co

217 S Liberty St, Ste 105

Parentheses Books

76 W Gay St

Park Gables Gallery at VMRC

1491 Virginia Ave

The Perch Workspace

85 W Gay St

Pulp Cafe

135 S Main St

Rebecca’s Well Gift Shop

405 N Main St - Bridgewater

Rootstock Wine Bar and Provisions

86 W Gay St

Sage Bird Ciderworks

325 N Liberty St

Saint Stephen’s United Church of Christ

358 S Main St

Smith House Galleries

311 S Main St

Stoney Run Artisans & Highland Designs

9945 McGaheysville Rd - McGaheysville

Ten Thousand Villages

181 S Main St

Virginia Quilt Museum

301 S Main St

Join the First Fridays Festivities: October 4, 2024

View Venue Map

It’s easy to be part of this amazing monthly arts experience. Just show up on the First Friday at one of the participating Harrisonburg-Rockingham locations – and be prepared to enjoy yourself. Most venues are open between 5 and 7 pm; focus on one location, or combine several for a customized art walk. Use these links to see what’s happening where, and to map out a route for your evening art adventures – whether solo or with family members and friends. You can even keep the magic flowing by staying in town for dinner and a movie, or maybe taking in a music or comedy show to inject a little more art into your evening.

Venue	Type	Title	Artist	Medium	Notes
Aristocat Cafe 111 N Liberty St	Opening Reception	New Artist	Matthew Cosner	Mixed media, photography	Refreshments aristocat.cafe
Asbury United Methodist Church 205 S Main St	Opening Reception	Vistas: New Works in Oil Paint and Oil Pastel	Justin Poole	Oil paint, oil pastel	Meet the artist Refreshments asburydowntown.org
Deviant Kreations 61 Court Square	Opening Reception	Scaredy Cat	Madelyn Penrod	Rugs, punch needle	Meet the artist Refreshments Facebook Event
Draime Fine Art Studio 1153 S High St	Open House	Open House – Current Students’ Work	Various	Watercolor paintings, drawings	5-8pm Meet the artist Refreshments draimefineart.com
Duke Hall Gallery of Fine Art 820 S Main St	Art Reception	DLO A RASIN	Minia Biabiany	Water, wood, soil	jmu.edu/dukehallgallery
Explore More Discovery Museum 150 S Main St	Art Activity	Fall Fun	N/A	Fun fall crafts for kids	Free admission iexploremore.com
Friendly City Food Co-op 150 E Wolfe St	Opening Reception	Perspective of Nature	Emma Miller	Acrylic paintings on canvas	Meet the artist Refreshments Facebook Event
The Gaines Group Architects 141 W Bruce St, Ste 101	Opening Reception	Southeast Asia Collection	Deryl Kennel	Photography	Meet the artist Refreshments Facebook Event
Gift & Thrift 731 Mt Clinton Pike	Author Spotlight & Storytelling	Author Spotlight & Children’s Storytelling	Wendy Reardon	Children’s book	Meet the author Facebook Event
Harrisonburg City Hall 409 S Main St	Opening Reception	City Works: A Portrait of Public Service	Various	Photography	harrisonburgva.gov/city-hall-first-fridays
Hess Financial 380 E Market St	Art Reception	Five Friends	Paul Cook, Donna Detrich, Charlie Kasch, Doris Martin, Martha Merz	Paintings, mixed media	Meet the artists Refreshments Facebook Event
Horizon Gifts 60 W Market St	Opening Reception	JMU Student Entrepreneurs	JMU Students	Jewelry, stickers, stationery, crochet, upcycled clothing, paintings	Meet the artists Refreshments Facebook Event
Hotel Madison & Shenandoah Valley Conference Center 710 S Main St	Art Reception & Live Music	Botanical Brilliance	Lynda Chandler	Watercolor paintings	Meet the artist (5-7pm) Live music (6-8pm) Trio Jazz Jazz, blues, classic rock, blues hotelmadison.com
Mashita 105 N Liberty St	New Featured Artist	MONSTRO-PRESENTISM: Viewing the past filtered through a lens distorted by exposure to the monstrous and macabre	Ron Wood	Mixed media	eatmashita.com
OASIS Fine Art & Craft 103 S Main St	Opening Reception & Live Music	Emerging Artists	Ken Carson, CeCe Dodd, Camille Gerrick, Jonathan Gideon, Julia Koehler, Brooke Pangle, Afton Rhodes-Lehman, Keylee Ritchie, Carrie Ross, Wendell Shenk	Variety of media	Meet the artists Refreshments Live music Countryside Garage Band Facebook Event
Pale Fire Brewing Co. 217 S Liberty St, Ste 105	Opening Reception & Live Music	One Big Dose presents Loring Gibson’s street art studies!	One Big Dose	Paint, reclaimed plywood	Meet the artist Refreshments Live music Savvy Blues, funk, jazz, jam Facebook Event
Parentheses Books 76 W Gay St	Opening Reception	Quilts on Clay	Kassy Newman	Wheel-thrown and hand-built ceramics with surface design using various underglazes, glazes, and image transfers	5-6pm Meet the artist Refreshments parenthesesbooks.com/events
Park Gables Gallery at VMRC 1491 Virginia Ave	Art Reception	Shenandoah Valley Watercolor Society’s Member Show	Various	Watercolor paintings	Meet the artists Refreshments vmrc.org/events
The Perch Workspace 85 W Gay St	Opening Reception	Shenandoah Threads	Randy & Janet Shank	Textiles	Meet the artists Enjoy a weaving demonstration theperchworkspace.com
Pulp Cafe 135 S Main St	Opening Reception	Animal Farm	Katie Cousins	Acrylic and spray paint on canvas and skateboards	Meet the artist Refreshments shenandoahbicycle.com/pulp-cafe
Rebecca’s Well Gift Shop 405 N Main St – Bridgewater	Shop Event	Night on the Town	LC Creations	Textiles – quilting, crocheting, sewing	5-8pm Meet the artist Facebook
Sage Bird Ciderworks 325 N Liberty St	Opening Reception & Live Music	A Quintet of Quartets	Kendra & Isabel Matter	Oil paint, acrylics, pencil	5-8pm Meet the artists Refreshments Live music Andy Wildermuth Improv piano Facebook Event
Saint Stephen’s United Church of Christ 358 S Main St	Live Music	A Night with Justin Hensley	Justin Hensley	Musical performance	6-7pm Refreshments saintstephensucc.com
Smith House Galleries 311 S Main St	Opening Reception	Artistry & Eclecticism Floral Worlds	Mae Stoll Laura Thompson	Acrylic and pastel paintings Mixed media collage	Meet the artists Refreshments Current Exhibition
Stoney Run Arisans & Highland Designs 9945 McGaheysville Rd – McGaheysville	Art Reception	Steve Lambert – Paintings of Local Landscapes and Wildlife	Steve Lambert	Acrylic paintings	3-7pm Meet the artist Refreshments Facebook Event

The Power of Art to Revitalize Community

In 2001, Harrisonburg established the first Arts and Cultural District in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with an eye toward increasing the number of arts and entertainment offerings in the city. Eight years later, First Fridays of the Valley joined that effort, beginning as a partnership between Arts Council of the Valley (ACV) and Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance. Envisioned as an expansion of a biannual downtown Art and Gallery Walk, the program – then called First Fridays Downtown – connected community members and businesses with arts experiences the first Friday evening of every month.

The program began with 15 retail shops, restaurants, galleries, and museums exhibiting artwork from April through October. Now coordinated by ACV, First Fridays of the Valley is a full-year community event involving more than 30 venues and bringing hundreds of people out to sample visual art, poetry, and live performances. Plus, many venues display visual art throughout the month, so you can revisit a favorite spot or check out artwork you missed during First Friday.

As much fun as First Fridays of the Valley can be for individuals and families, each monthly event also helps support artists, stimulate commerce, and showcase the Harrisonburg-Rockingham region as an arts destination.

People Are Talking About
First Fridays of the Valley

Janet Marshman

First Fridays of the Valley is like walking in a field of wildflowers with art blooming in colors, textures and designs. You will also discover it is a way to connect with old friends and meet fabulous new friends surrounded in spaces of art.

Tony Lucy

As a fellow artist, it is amazing to meet so many talented individuals, hear how they approach art, and how art has shaped their lives.

Rhoda Miller

The energy and joy that we experience in our space when we host First Fridays is infectious and something we look forward to each time we host. We strive to create a welcoming environment where all can share and experience the many talents our community has to offer.

How Does First Fridays of the Valley Work?

Individuals simply drop in at a First Fridays of the Valley venue that has announced an exhibition or performance for that evening. It’s that easy!

Venues register with Arts Council of the Valley (ACV) to participate for an entire calendar year, providing information each month for ACV to use in promoting their upcoming arts experiences.

If your business would like to experience first-hand the energy of the arts to build community and reach new audiences, email Arts Council of the Valley or call 540.801.8779 to learn about the promotional support you can expect by participating.