Now in its sixth season, Richmond’s thriving cultural festival First Fridays Artwalk showcases street musicians, fire-baton throwers, free food and gallery exhibits.
VCU’s STRUT models pose on Broad Street to the techno beats of DJ “Neurotic Insights,” who’s spinning records in front of the Turnstyle boutique. The store sells dance music records, trendy apparel and accessories.
Turnstyle owner JoAnna Willey, aka “DJ JoAnna O,” shares the company’s background and recent accomplishments.
“We bring our lifestyle and culture to the mainstream by being in the middle of the artwalk, which is cool,” Willey said. “We actually just went online at turnstyleonline.com, so we are worldwide now.”
STRUT models exit the scene while giving Richmond residents and visitors a fashion show as they use downtown as their personal runway, strutting down the street median.
Some VCU students used this exciting night as an opportunity to present their professional work to the community. Photography and film major Janine Fennell received great exposure by displaying her work in the Richmond Frame store.
She displayed 12 highly designed photographs that transformed regular household objects such as a fan, maxi pad and golf club cover into unique digital art. Her artwork was on sale for $45 to $75.
“Tonight is a much larger crowd than usual,” sophomore Fennel said. She created her pieces by “just using Photoshop with basic color correction.”
Many other galleries provide free food with unique artwork and unusual features that captivate the attention of visitors.
Before entering the ADA gallery, the visitors immediately notice a large sapphire florescent-lit picture in the store window. Inside, visitors stare in awe at a wall fully covered with multi-colored pictures of eyes inside bottle caps.
The ADA gallery provides a variety of art exhibits, with jewelry, drawings and even looping animations of figures chasing each other on three framed digital screens.
Corporate and Museum Frame Inc. displays 14 bright, textured and almost monochromatic oil on canvas paintings, priced from $900 to $1,500. Nearby, four fire-baton throwers attract a large crowd on Brook Road. Drivers struggle to catch a glimpse of the waving flames while slowly passing stoplights on a narrow crowded street.
This cultural event is held on the first Friday of each month, between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. at venues along the Historic Broad Street Corridor.