It took about an hour for things to
get rolling at First Fridays Artwalk last
week, but as the evening settled in, the
number of pedestrians walking along
Broad Street quickly grew.
“It’s a fun place to come and get
inspired,” said Samantha Jeffrey, a high
school junior.
Margeaus Huffines-Keener agreed.
“We really like the atmosphere,” she
said.
Both Jeffrey and Huffines-Keener are
students at the Center for the Arts in
Henrico County. They were examining
artwork at the Visual Art Studio at 208
W. Broad St., having gone to First Fridays
this month to earn extra credit.
Around 30 venues participated in
what was First Fridays’ second multidisciplinary
event of the season. A handful
of street vendors took the opportunity
to unofficially increase the number of
participants, as well.
Keith Ramsey, a fine artist and graphic
designer who graduated from VCU, was
one of these vendors.
Ramsey set up his artistic creations
in front of Curated Culture Inc., the
non-profit organization that coordinates
all the activities related to First Fridays
Artwalk.
Ramsey said he knew about First Fridays
from the start, personally knowing
Christina Newton, founder and director
of Curated Culture.
“It works out for both of us for me
to work out here,” Ramsey said. Many
people who are first attracted by the
outside display are then drawn into the
building.
Ramsey stood in front of his display,
nodding his head to a techno beat that
floated over the street from Turnstyle,
where a disc jockey worked his magic.
Many of Ramsey’s drawings and paintings
depicted minuscule people standing
in extensively large rooms. He used long
shadows, a sense of contrast in size and
the depiction of a large clock towering
over a tiny individual to illustrate a
drawing titled “Time Obsessed 2.”
This was one he sold Friday to VCU
freshman William Barnett V – immediately
after saying: “I find people usually
buy things when it’s warmer outside.”
Barnett was a first-time visitor to First
Fridays and said he loves “just how
alive it is.”
Artist P.J. Sykes, skilled in both
photography and music, was another
vendor who fought the chill but still
came out with some success.
“I actually just met a guy who’s
running for City Council. He’s probably
going to have me shoot a bunch of photos
for him,” Sykes said.
“This is the third month I’ve been here
at this spot,” he said, standing beside an
eye-catching photography display. “You
meet a lot of people who aren’t usually
likely to see this stuff.”
Sykes said he has been serious about
photography for five to six years but also
plays music and has his own label. “I have
my hand in a little bit of everything,”
he said.
Speaking of a little bit of everything,
that’s exactly what there was.
Theater IV at 114 W. Broad St. hosted
its first live cabaret, featuring songs such
as “All That Jazz,” “Good Old Days” and
“The Wizard and I.”
Sandy Dacus and Billy Maupin directed
the cabaret, which was set overlooking
an exhibition on costume design. The
exhibition included selections mainly
from children’s theater.
Libby Thurston, who volunteered at
the theater 10 years ago, was interested
in seeing the exhibit. She used to do set
design there, “when this wasn’t a big
deal,” she said.
Skyy Restaurant & Jazz Palace,
although not officially a First Fridays
venue, was holding its weekly live music
simultaneously with the event.
A three-man band – Steve Kessler on
the keys, VCU adjunct professor Taylor
Barnett on flugelhorn and trumpet, and
sophomore Dean Christesen on drums
– played in the semi-darkened Jazz Palace,
where patrons and guests alike could sit
and tap their feet to the funky groove.
The restaurant drew more people in
as the night progressed, but even a light
applause of the initial few caused Kessler
to say, “Much better! There’s somebody
in here.”
For the people who began wandering
in, the restaurant was offering all the
artwork on the walls at a 40 percent
discount.
The First Fridays Artwalk continues
to cater to the young and the youngat-
heart, encouraging people from all
walks of life to experience the heartbeat
of Richmond.