 What’s so special about the first and the third Friday of every month in Northeastern PA? First Fridays, in the Scranton area, and Third Fridays, in the Wilkes-Barre area, offer a plethora of activities for art, drama, and music lovers alike.
First Fridays in downtown Scranton feature art walks that include visits to more than 30 venues. First Fridays have provided opportunities for art lovers and artists to gather each month for more than 10 years. On the First Friday of each month, downtown Scranton is the host for an enjoyable evening of gallery tours and live music and theater performances, as well as wine tasting, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, and much more. Participants enjoy walking from one venue to another or may choose to take a nostalgic ride on a free trolley.
Among the 30 businesses that participate in the event each month are Windsor Studios, AFA Gallery, Duffy Accessories, City Lights Church, Outrageous, The Vintage Theater, STAR Gallery at the Steamtown Mall, Wendell and Company Interior Design, Saint Luke’s Church, the Bog, the University of Scranton Hope Horn Gallery, and Marywood University Insalaco Center, to name but a few.
First Fridays have allowed hundreds of local, regional, and nationally known artists to share their talents with local residents. It is a cultural event, but also has been a strong tool for economic development, bringing shoppers and customers to the downtown area to mingle with others in a casual atmosphere.
“First Fridays provide an opportunity for people in the area, as well as visitors, to see Scranton at its finest,” said First Fridays Executive Director Lisa Sauder.
Paintings, photography, sculpture, music, performance art you never know what you’ll find at First Fridays in Scranton. Sauder also noted that exhibits usually stay up for about a month after the First Friday.
Two of the past themes included “A Taste of Italy” and “Welcome Back College Students.” For more information on future art walks, a map, and list of venues and events, visit www.firstfridayscranton.com. If you are an artist interested in participating, email
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for more information.
Wikes-Barre Third Fridays
Like its Scranton counterpart, Wilkes-Barre’s Third Fridays offer many opportunities for artists to display their art and for art lovers to view or purchase artwork for themselves. Third Fridays started with about 10 venues, which change from time to time, and continues to grow. These venues include Arts YOUniverse, Arts SEEN,Gallery, the Widmann,Gallery at King’s College, the Sordoni Gallery at Wilkes University, Marquis Art & Frame, Osterhout Library, Barnes and Noble Downtown, and any other downtown venue that chooses to participate from month to month. Local art groups work independently to make it all happen and come together for exciting events, which include painting, print, photography, sculpture, metalwork, and jewelry displays, along with live music, poetry readings, and book signings featuring local and national artists, authors, and musicians.
One venue that participates in Third Fridays is Arts SEEN Gallery, which features more than 50 artists displaying an eclectic assortment of their creations. Visitors may enjoy viewing or purchasing the works while listening to live guitar music. Also on the art walk are the Wyoming Valley Art League and Arts YOUniverse, which share a building and offer numerous displays of artworks and styles–– something for every art lover.
“Rather than competing with Scranton’s First Fridays, we started Third Fridays so that we would still be able to enjoy Scranton’s Fridays and hope that they would come here to enjoy ours,” said Kathleen Godwin, a Third Fridays organizer.
Artists who would like to participate in participating in Third Fridays events should visit www.artsyouniverse.com for more information. Downtown merchants are also invited to participate through Third Fridays specials and/or extended hours during the monthly event. |
