It’s Finally Friday!

Enjoy local music, art and culture every last Friday of the month from February through November.

| 2016 Q3 | story by LIZ WESLANDER | photos by Steven Hertzog

Final Fridays in Downtown Lawrence

The last time I listened to opera, a boy band and punk rock all in the same evening was … never. So when I managed to cover all three during Lawrence’s Final Friday in July, I felt like I had accomplished something.

February through November, the last Friday of the month in Lawrence is the day that local galleries, studios and businesses fill their walls with artwork, make space for musicians, stock up on snacks and drinks, and open their doors between 5 to 9 p.m. to celebrate Final Fridays.

Lawrence’s monthly, alliteratively titled art event began in August 2010 through the cooperation of the Lawrence Arts Center, Downtown Lawrence Inc., the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission and the wealth of artists and local businesses of the community.

The general goal of Final Fridays is to provide artists the opportunity to showcase their work and to encourage people to come out to enjoy, and possibly purchase, artwork, says Porter Arneill, director of arts and culture for the City of Lawrence.

The way people approach Final Fridays is as varied as the art on display during the event, Arneill says. Some people may go out to dinner and visit a couple of venues afterwards, while some try to hit as many shows as possible—including those downtown, in the Warehouse Arts District, in North Lawrence and as far west as Theatre Lawrence.

“You can be passive about it and just go out and see what happens, or you can be methodical and check off venues from the list. People do it all,” Arneill explains. “The eclecticism of Final Fridays is part of its charm.”

Having always been part of the former, passive group of Final Friday-goers, I decided to try the latter option for July’s Final Friday. Choosing from the more than 20 Final Friday venues listed on the city’s website for that month, I made a short list of shows that held the potential for eclecticism and gave it a go.

My evening started at the Lawrence Public Library, where Lawrence Opera Theatre was performing songs based on the works of William Shakespeare. The performance was a teaser for the company’s 7th Summer Festival titled Shakespeare 400, which honored the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death.

Ivan Calderon bangs the gong in the 9th street arts district on Final Fridays

Upon entering the library, the sounds of opera wafted from the auditorium, filling the lobby with serene background music for all to enjoy. The scene inside the auditorium was serious. The room was full, everyone was seated and those who did not have their eyes fixed on the soloist next to the piano at the front of the room sat silently with their eyes closed in order to fully take in what they were hearing.

I stayed to hear a piece that was written from the perspective of Ophelia in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” The singing, to my untrained ears, was flawless. Although the piece was in Italian, the performer brought the Ophelia character to life through facial expression, deftly communicating the mood of the piece.

Ready for something a little more jovial, I move on to Cider Gallery, in the Warehouse Arts District, at 810 Pennsylvania St., where local artists Aaron and Kendra Marable were hosting an opening for their show “The Shape of Things to Come.” Visiting the large, open Cider Gallery space is always a treat. The former cider vinegar factory, which also serves as an event venue and houses coworking office spaces, opened in 2013 after a major renovation that maintained much of the building’s original brick walls, wood floors and giant support beams.

Art lovers admire the paintings. All part of a Final Friday experience

At the opening, viewers quietly contemplated the paintings and mixed-media pieces on the gallery walls, while the artists chatted with friends and fans who had come to see their new work. I did some mingling of my own, and after hearing several times there was a great band playing outside the gallery, I stepped outside and was surprised to see a boy band doing a very convincing cover of Toto’s “Hold the Line.” The band, called BQ Ocean Blu, is made up of three brothers and their keyboardist friend. While the lead singer looked like he was maybe 16, the other members didn’t look a day over 12. Rock on, young ones.

From the lawn of the Cider Gallery, it was a short walk east over to the Rural Pearl studio, on Delaware Street, where one of my favorite local artists, Angie Pickman, displays her intricately detailed works of cut paper art that feature flowers, birds and other animals. Her space was tiny and filled with late-evening light, and I chatted with Angie about her work for a few minutes before wandering next door, where a band was playing to a lively bunch of people gathered in what looked like an office space.

The space turned out to be Tallgrass Studios, a local visual communications firm that was celebrating its recent relocation to the Warehouse Arts District. On the far side of the room, I spotted a big spread of food, copious amounts of chilled beer and wine, and a friend I had not seen in years. This is a perfect example of how the best-laid plans can easily go off course on Final Fridays. It also confirms the rumor that free food and booze can indeed be part of the Final Fridays equation. I indulged in this diversion for a bit but soon moved on lest my methodical approach to the evening get waylaid.

Art lovers admire the music. All part of a Final Friday experience

Back downtown, Massachusetts Street was hopping. Within just a few blocks, there were at least five places I could have stopped to hear live music or take in some art. The Phoenix Gallery, which specializes in local and regional artwork, and always plans something special for Final Fridays, was featuring jewelry artist Britta McKee, of Tobias Designs. They were also serving snacks made by Merchants Pub and Plate, and tea brewed by Mana. I breezed through, took a shot of Kava tea, grabbed some finger food and, as the sun was starting to set, headed to my final stop of the evening, The Percolator Art Space, 912 Rhode Island St., in the alley behind the Lawrence Arts Center.

The Percolator was celebrating the opening of it’s the Dimebag Show, an open-call show in which artists purchased a $10 bag of supplies from the neighboring Social Service League Thrift Store and created art with it.

The small yellow building was nearly empty when I arrived, but an empty box of wine and a single homemade oatmeal cookie at the bottom of a ceramic cookie jar on the refreshment table were sure signs of an earlier crowd. Perhaps another reason for the emptiness was that a “theater punk” band called Something and the Whatevers was warming up on the Percolator stage in the alley behind the building.

I stepped out to survey the scene and noted it was a far cry from the opera performance at the library where I had started the evening. The band, which had a screen with a talking robot playing in the background, was plugged in and extolling the virtues of the deafening guitar solo. The spectators, many of whom held cans of beer, were sitting on hay bales, standing or leaning on trash cans—and loving it.

As I headed home, I declared my personal “Lawrence Final Friday Mission Eclecticism” a success. Even better, the opportunity to enjoy the work of another set of Lawrence artists at my own pace is only a month away.