First Friday Art Walk

This month, Bookstore On The Square will be hosting poets and artists displaying their work! There will be poetry readings by Kathleen Willard and Melissa Mitchell (@dontuchme), an up-cycled bookmaking activity with Bethany Economos (@somonocestudio), and more!

First Friday at CC’s — Art, Music & Community

Join us for a vibrant First Friday evening filled with music, art, and connection.

This month, we're thrilled to feature the acoustic duo Rosales & Summers, whose blend of upright bass, guitar, and banjo brings an engaging mix of bluegrass, Americana, and soulful roots music. Their warm harmonies and organically groovy sound set the perfect tone for a cozy, creative night.

👉 @josyrosales

We’re also showcasing two incredible local artists:

John Stromberger, a lapidary artist and silversmith whose handcrafted pieces highlight the natural beauty of stones he’s collected since childhood.

👉 @lplandsilver

👉 Etsy Store

Erin Joy Parrot, an illustrator and nature-inspired artist whose detailed works reflect her passion for birds and the world around her.

👉 @erinjoyart

Stroll the shop, enjoy live music, meet the artists, and soak in an evening of creativity and community. We can’t wait to share this special night with you.

Gallery A - "Scandinavian Folk Artist Exhibit", Artist: Diane Edwards

Scandinavian artifacts and original Norwegian and Swedish paintings and wooden pieces made in Norway and by Norwegian craftsmen in America. Diane Edwards is a Master FolkArtist in Colorado and New Mexico in the original Norwegian Rosemaling styles. She is also showing many antique and vintage Scandinavian pieces many of which are for sale, she has a large collection of wood carving, pewter, weaving and embroidery in the Scandinavian tradition.

Gallery C - "Rainbow of Chaos", Artist: Kristen Vohs

Rainbow of Chaos is a vibrant exploration of color, movement, and joyful disorder by local artist Kristen Vohs. Known for her dynamic public artworks—including 10 transformer cabinet murals, 3 Pianos About Town pieces, and the 180-foot-long Vibrant Forest mural—Vohs brings her signature energy indoors. This exhibit celebrates the beauty of chaos through bold colors and playful compositions that invite curiosity and uplift the spirit.

Ashley (@streetash) is a spray paint artist from Fort Collins, Colorado. Much of her work can be seen hanging all over Colorado, including Loveland, Windsor, and Fort Collins. Her style is influenced by pop culture and a love for repurposing materials. She mainly uses spray paint, acrylics and stencils to design her paintings. Each stencil is sketched up and then hand-cut by her. Her artistic background was primarily formed in High School when she learned how to stencil and spray paint. She continues to create paintings on repurposed vinyl records in her spare time.

Artist’s Statement: David Theissen

We tend to think of inspiration as coming from the rare, the exotic, or the grandiose. But it’s not at all difficult to find inspiration closer to home in the familiar. Dave Theissen’s work draws inspiration from the places we frequent, the paths we travel repeatedly, and the things we see without even looking for them. His paintings are portraits of unremarkable streets, facades, and windows. Within their inescapable tumult of angles, perspectives and shadows there is an abundance of tense dynamism yet with a touch of loneliness. Theissen’s work explores the emptiness of these spaces and creates anticipation of human presence.

The Otter Shop is featuring Kevin Q. Dugan (@keavy_dee)! An artist and bonafied silly person!

Kevin creates art that is meant to be silly to bring levity and whimsy to the art connoisseur. He hopes to bring joy to your living space or wherever you choose to hang his art!

Join me for a quiet Open Studio. I will be working in my Studio 211 at the Museum of Art Fort Collins, and will have gifts, prints, and originals available. My artwork is also available in the gift store on the first floor. I look forward to seeing all of you!

Join the first Friday event on my Facebook page for regular updates facebook.com/SheriLaurenArt

I have more gifts and prints available in my online store including ornaments, puzzles, stationery, cards, clothing, electronics, and household wares sheri-lauren.pixels.com

You can also follow me and contact me through Instagram @SheriLauren_Art

Functional and hand built pottery from the residents of Smokestack Pottery.

Our annual Residents Holiday Sale will take place during First Friday Art Walk on Friday, December 5, from 6 - 9 pm. The sale will continue on Saturday, December 6, from 11 am - 8 pm.

Get ready to sparkle and celebrate the season. Our featured show for November and December is all about handcrafted ornaments, lovingly made by our cooperative artists. From whimsical creations to elegant treasures, each piece is one-of-a-kind and made right here in NoCo.

This festive collection will have a wide variety of materials, from wood and glass to ceramic and more, showcasing the creativity and craftsmanship of our local makers. Come find the perfect ornament to add a touch of handmade magic to your holidays.

Up’N Smoke First Friday is back with a fresh mix of creatives—sparkling handmade jewelry, cozy crochet, bold prints, dreamy illustrations, and custom clothing you won’t find anywhere else. Pull up, explore, and support your local artists!

Ashlyn Garner (@ashlyn.garner.art)

Cayetano (@tanos_garden)

This event is part two of our "No Prompt Needed" project for our focus on AI for Good. Itinerary includes an exhibit as well as a market featuring local artists on Friday (this event) hosted during Fort Collins' December First Friday Art Walk. Learn more. Hosted in collaboration with Fort Collins AI for Everyone.

Pandora's box has been opened. With the release of tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Midjourney, and countless others, promises of profits, efficiency, democratization, and "human flourishing" from technologists and corporations are abundant. Despite these promises, creative professionals face an uncertain future where their jobs, intellectual property, and artistic integrity are at risk. Creatives are being left out of important conversations about how these powerful tools should be built and used. Fort Collins has a thriving creative community of musicians, visual artists, writers, designers, and countless others who need practical knowledge, ways to protect themselves, and a stronger voice in shaping this transformation.

Through this project we've dubbed “No Prompt Needed," we are dedicating our platform and resources at Fort Collins AI to supporting the Fort Collins creative community through meaningful partnership and opportunities.

Christina Pruneski (@memento_vivre_arts) - Custom handcrafted artistic pieces designed to capture your most precious moments. I specialize in dice trays, engagement ring boxes, and bespoke commissions.

Hannah Amaryllis Design (@hannah_amaryllis) - Graphic Designer and Illustrator. 🖌️🎨

Cassie Nuckols (@sassy.moonlite) - Eclectic digital collage artist.

Join us for our annual CSU BFA Capstone Exhibition! This First Friday, we are hosting Tristin Dorsey (@tristindorsey) with his innovative presentation of mixed media artwork. The Merchant Room has celebrated the unique work of graduating fine art students every December and May for ten years now!
These exhibitions are always thought-provoking and show the excellence of our CSU art department.

On Friday, December 12, 2025, join us for a spectacular Capstone Art Exhibition featuring 9 drawing students from CSU. Click here for event details. 

Ian Cochrane's use of vibrant colors and large scale, abstract design is best experienced in person. Come experience his stunning work up close, while enjoying some light refreshments.

👉 @iancochraneartist

Join us for First Friday with new art and live music featuring Anna Hultin (@olandercoembroidery) and String Creek, an acoustic strings duo.

Anna Hultin is an artist living in Loveland, Colorado. After receiving a BFA in drawing from Colorado State University, she continued to pursue drawing, sculpture, and installation. Since becoming a mother, her work has taken on a new, more flexible form: needle and thread. Her embroideries are inspired by her land; from the vast and rugged landscape of Colorado to the intimacy of her own garden.

Tied to the Land: Embroidered Landscapes features stitched artwork and photographs from Hultin’s newly released book The Stitched Landscape. Hultin’s aim was to create a book that cultivates a connection to the land through the tangible art of embroidery by teaching readers how to find beauty in the starkness of shadows and light in the grasses, the subtle shift of texture of a moss covered rock, or the way that plants dot a field and create movement. In writing the book, Anna created over 30 stitched landscapes, many of which were based on the photographs taken by Brooke Forwood of fields and plants around Northern Colorado.

Come see Forwood’s photographs and Hultin’s stitched work that explore the often overlooked beauty of the subtle textures and colors of the land from The Stitched Landscape.