(Photo from Emily Gibbons and provided by Cultural Council of Cortland County).
Press release from the Cultural Council of Cortland County.
New York State may be on PAUSE, but Cortland’s First Friday is not. On May 1, the Cultural Council of Cortland County will be offering a virtual First Friday to celebrate creativity in our community – at a safe distance. Venues and artists from around Cortland County are coming together to share exhibits as well as live performances in celebration of First Friday. “We’re encouraged by the strong interest in this event,” notes coordinator Emily Gibbons. “This is a time when it is so important to support the arts.”
May’s First Friday will have a record number of participants – including the Center for the Arts, Cortland Free Library, Dowd Gallery, and numerous local artists. The stories behind the exhibits are often as compelling as the exhibits themselves. For example, the Center for the Arts of Homer will be highlighting the at home creative activities of their main office and gallery staff as well as a few special members. The Dowd Gallery has been busy working on developing virtual exhibits that are available on their website, as well as their Instagram and Facebook feeds. Member artist Christa Boice will be sharing photos taken in February at Taughannock Falls. Another member artist, Laurie T. Seamans plans to share a drawing that she completed while staying at home during New York’s PAUSE. And the list goes on. Several artist members will also share performance or videos, including music by Bobcat (of the Local Farmers union) and a painting demo by Emily Gibbons.
Activities will start at noon on the Cultural Council’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/culturalcouncilofcortlandcounty/
May First Friday will feature exhibits from venues as well as works from local artists including:
- Center for the Arts of Homer - Out of Gallery Experience
- Cortland Free Library – Virtual Photography Exhibit
- Dowd Gallery – Virtual Gallery
- Bobcat (of the Local Farmers Union) – Musical Performance
- Christa Boice - Photography
- Emily Gibbons – Painting Demo
- Kathy Peters – Quilling Artwork
- Kristine Willauer – Resin Artwork
- Lauren Nels - Raku Fired and Stoneware Pendants
- Laurie T. Seamans - Drawing
- Louise Felker - Artwork
For more information about the Cultural Council and First Friday, please visit: https://www.culturalcouncilofcortlandcounty.org/
