First Friday to debut tweaks to street closures

The First Friday arts festival is scheduled from 5 to 11 p.m. June 5 at venues throughout the 18b Arts District in downtown Las Vegas, near the intersection of Charleston Boulevard and Main Street. Live entertainment, artists’ booths, food vendors and more are planned.

Admission is free, and a free shuttle service is available from 4:30 to 11:30 p.m. The open-top shuttles make a loop stopping at the Downtown Container Park, 707 Fremont St., the Arts District Hub at the corner of Colorado Avenue and Main Street and the El Cortez, 600 Fremont St. The El Cortez stop is on Sixth Street across from the valet parking entrance. Paid parking is available at the city of Las Vegas Llama Lot, 902 Fremont St. Parking is also available for $3 at Symphony Park at the southwest corner of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, 361 Symphony Park Ave. On-street and paid parking are available close to the event, but spaces fill up early.

The event features several special areas, including a KidZone; Green Street, which focuses on environmentally friendly products and practices; the Hub Stage; and the Artisan Bazaar, which showcases artists and craftspeople.

This month, the footprint of the closed street portion of the event will be shifting as only areas north of Charleston Boulevard will be closed to traffic. Galleries south of Charleston, including Reclaimed Art Suppliez, City of the World and Blackbird Studios, will be open despite being outside of the closed street footprint.

Artist Ruzo Logic plans to continue the Guerrilla Kage Art project, which brings groups of artists from UNLV, the Las Vegas Academy of Arts and other local artists to work together on painted panel art.

Although the main events are scheduled in the 18b Arts District, arts-themed events also take place in the Fremont East area at large before and after each First Friday event.

First Friday’s theme for June is “music is beautiful,” with bands at various venues within the traditional First Friday footprint and other downtown venues. The bands are entertaining the crowds and competing for a spot in the Life Is Beautiful festival. Fans can cast their vote for their favorite band. For more information, visit firstfridaylasvegas.com.

Preview Thursday is planned from 6 to 9 p.m. June 4 and offers a more low-key event. Galleries planning to participate in First Friday include:

THE ARTS FACTORY, 107 E. CHARLESTON BLVD.

— Jana’s Red Room: “‘Stache,” paintings by Steve Anthony in the main gallery; and small works by local artists in the Salon gallery. Visit janasredroom.com or call 702-454-3709.

— Sin City Gallery: “12 Inches of Sin IV,” an annual international group show featuring works 12 inches square or smaller. Visit sincitygallery.com or call 702-608-2461.

— Peace N Art Studio: Pencil on paper works by Clarice Tara; and “Vintage Urban Space,” works by Alexander Huerta.

— Eden Art Studio and Gallery: “Stability,” paintings by Shawn Truman, a painter and an acrobat since childhood.

— 17 Moons Art Studio: Assemblages by Michael Delacruz in the gallery’s new, larger space on the first floor. Visit 17moons.com or call 702-245-7725.

— Dray Studio & Gallery: “Year of the Buddha,” featuring more than 100 paintings of Buddha that artist Dray has created in the last year. Visit instagram.com/draydizzle1 or call 415-748-0713.

— EKlectica Gallery: Works by Lynne Adamson Adrian, Bill Fravel and Debbie Jane Sussman. Visit tinyurl.com/eklectica or call 702-686-4010.

DOWNTOWN SPACES, 1800 INDUSTRIAL ROAD

Downtown Spaces plans to celebrate First Friday from 6 to 10 p.m. Visit dtspaces.com. Confirmed activities include:

— Wasteland Gallery: New exhibit featuring the art of Zack Dewane.

— Spectral Gallery: Continuing work by Jska Priebe and Mike and Dasha Biggs; and live 3-D digital painting demonstrations.

— Urizen Gallery: Opening reception for “Tree of Life” by Benito Colón-Contreras.

— Toyboxx: Hurt Life Skateboards signing event.

OTHER LOCATIONS

— Nevada Humanities Gallery, 1025 S. First St.: “8 Miles Out, 6 Feet Under” an immersive mural installation by Miguel Rodriguez. The public is invited to view the work in progress and meet the artist from 5 to 9 p.m. on preview Thursday and see the completed work from 5 to 9 p.m. on First Friday. A pop-up poetry event featuring Andy “Warwheels” Kenyon, Megan Milligan and Madeline Beckwith also is planned starting at 7 p.m. Visit nevadahumanities.org.

— Reclaimed Art Suppliez, 1114 S. Casino Center Blvd.: Open mic performances, with sign-ups starting at 6 p.m.; live art demonstrations; and galleries featuring work by local artists. Visit reclaimedart.org or call 702-241-8926.

— City of the World, 1229 S. Casino Center Blvd.: Photography by Noe Noriega. Visit cityoftheworld.org or call 702-409-7549.

— Clay Arts Vegas, 1511 S. Main St.: “Ideas, Visions and Dreams,” functional and sculptural work by Mike Olson, much of it wood-fired. Visit clayartsvegas.com or call 702-375-4147.

— Blackbird Studios, 1551 S. Commerce St.: “String Theory: Explorations in Fiber as Art,” works by Lynne Adamson Adrian. Visit blackbirdstudioslv.com or call 702-782-0319.

To reach East Valley View reporter F. Andrew Taylor email ataylor@viewnews.com or call 702-380-4532.