Second Friday is Picking Up Steam!

Beyond RAW and holidays and trying to just accomplish things, we've been doing some cool things at the Art Bank, and that's been keeping me plenty busy.

We started a "Second Friday" event, on--you guessed it-- the second Friday of each month. Yeah, we could have opted for some kind of catchy title for the night, but you know what? I have to answer enough times "WHEN" First Friday is (ummm the FIRST FRIDAY of the month?) that I didn't think we needed to complicate things with Second Friday.

Each month we pick a charity and do a drive to collect whatever is needed for the charity. For instance, in January, we teamed up with Horizon House, a homeless shelter that said they needed thick warm gloves, double-bladed razors for shaving and men's deodorant. We encourage patrons to bring these items with them when they visit and help us fill our Campbell's soup can bin. Then, we donate the entire bunch and start again with a new charity for the next month.

On Second Friday, we have more space, we have, at this point, fewer visitors than on First Friday (hey, we're still starting out on this) so we have more time to speak with folks that would like to just have a conversation with the artists. Some artists even do art demonstrations to give an insight on what they do. We just have a good time. We have an art party.

The extra time and space has worked out well too--we had a visit from a group from Bosma Enterprises, a local organization that helps folks adapt to blindness. If you are of limited sight, getting bopped around in a crowded venue has got to be unnerving. So they came to visit us on a Second Friday and they had the time and space to take in the art at their peaceful leisure.

We also had figured out that there are just so many things going on on a First Friday that we can only split the pie so many ways, the pie being potential patrons. If you are already wanting to go see a show at another gallery, you may not be able to come down and see us, so hey, come down and see us on Second Friday. We'd be happy to see you. And please bring some razors. Or deodorant. Or warm gloves. Horizon House will thank you. WE THANK YOU!