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Join us June 5th, 6:00pm on South Division, between Wealthy and Fulton.
Find out more informtation on the Avenue for the Arts website or facebook page!
/Avenue for the Arts provided this image
/Avenue for the Arts provided this image
/Avenue for the Arts provided this image
The summer season has almost arrived and the Avenue for the Arts is pleased to present the commencement of our summer season with the first of two First Fridays: The Market! Reinvented, this event returns for its twelfth year along the Grand Rapids’ South Division Avenue. If you are new to Grand Rapids, you might be asking yourself, what is First Fridays: The Market? Taking place each First Friday, this event takes place along the Avenue for the Arts corridor between Fulton and Wealthy on South Division. Featuring local galleries and shop hops, live music, local food trucks and sidewalks flooded with local artisans, there’s tons to explore!
Unlike other bustling events such as ArtPrize and Festival of the Arts, The Avenue for the Arts provides a comfortable sized crowd with a reasonable walking distance which makes this event accessible for all! A number of participating gallery venues along South Division will feature new exhibitions including Small Worlds, Small Wonders at Craft House and Queering at Spiral Gallery. The 106 Calvin Gallery, and UICA feature exhibitions from Art of the Lived Experiment, and UICA will be hosting the Festival Regional Exhibition. Avenue for the Arts [Gallery] Space is hosting When Memory Carves Destiny featuring artwork by Polish born, Chicago based sculptor, Peter Kenar. Avenue shops will have extended hours, special events and sales.
Don’t miss Collective Memory at Have Company, Rose Phillips Featured Artist: Conscious Clothing Pop Up Shop at Parliament the Boutique and new work at Sanctuary Folk Art. Local art vendors will be featured streetside with unique and handmade goods. Woosah Outfitters, the newest addition to the storefronts on the Avenue will be hosting an outdoor vending booth, featuring owner of Woosah, Erica Lang’s work! Talk with her in person, and find out more about her shop opening soon!
Grab a delicious crepe from local food truck, Crepes by the Lake, or one of the Avenue eateries, Bandit Queen, Propaganda Doughnut or Rockwells. Along with a plethora of art, there will be numerous kid and family friendly activities such as hula hooping and face painting alongside live musical entertainment. Featured bands include: Sun Room, Darkly, and DJ Heritage Chill, and Matt Dandois. If you love Grand Rapids and you love art, this event is the place for you to be on Friday, June 5th at 6:00pm to pick up a beautifully crafted handmade gift for a loved one or friend, or to see what’s going on along the Avenue!
Check out our Flickr for great pics showing all the fun at past Market events! More information can be found on our website or on our Facebook Page. Make sure to #avenueforthearts when posting all of your awesome pics from the event and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with all of the Avenue for the Arts happenings!
Want to be a vendor? You can sign up here! Registration is open up until the event!
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