Downtown Fort Collins First Friday Art Walk^TM

Bas Bleu Theatre Company's gallery is featuring the art of Elizabeth Morisette. An important aspect of Morisette’s work is the use of repurposed materials. Using pieces with a history draws viewers in to experience objects in a new manner. The viewer is invited to remember a time, place, or a person that they once knew. Though the objects are common, the memories invoked by the work are as varied as the individuals who view them.

Bloom will be featuring the art of Linda Cava. As always, Bloom will be open with wine from Blendings available throughout the evening.

The ArtWear Biennial is returning to Fort Collins and will be hosted at the Center for Creativity starting on September 7 with a fashion show and continues the following week with a sales gallery featuring the work of over 50 artists from across the country. The September First Friday Art Walk at the Center offers a preview of some of the ArtWear garments modeled informally throughout the evening. Join us for fiber-art demos and see some of the garments.

Presented by The Lincoln Center and Gary Hixon, ArtWear highlights artists who create one-of-a-kind wearable art and is a fundraiser for The Lincoln Center Art Gallery. Our goal is to present and sell innovative and wearable work of the highest quality and provide a forum to share our enthusiasm through exploration of techniques and materials. The week-long event includes a fashion show, sales gallery, and other fiber art and wearable art programs throughout the week of September 7 – 15. We will also feature wearable art garments in The Lincoln Center Gallery August 30–October 6 in the exhibit ArtWear: Reclaimed and Recreated. Learn more about the event at www.lctix.com/artwear.

Hey, I'm Jenna Duncan and I'm originally from Austin, TX, but currently living with my husband in Denver, CO. I started The Hummingbird and The Beagle in 2020, after leaving my previous position as a Technical Recruiter in the semiconductor industry. I wanted to bring my passions for creativity, color, human connection, and nature together in one place – with my art business.You will see me creating everything from vibrant colorful abstract artwork to custom gemstone creations that brighten your personal space. The Hummingbird and The Beagle was created to help introduce more color into your life while providing unique, mindfully priced, and handmade items for you or someone special.
Just me (The Hummingbird) and my 12-year-old dog sidekick, Arthur (The Beagle), creating stuff in my art studio together.

You can come see me at Crystal Joys for September's Art Walk for some live painting and enter my raffle to win a free Agate Window Charm made by me.

Join local artist Chris Pruneski for a first Friday and get prints and decor perfect for decorating your space for spooky season (or all year round)! Chris often tries to find the magic in everyday scenes and loves carving intricate designs inspired by medieval woodcuts, tapestries, and Victorian imagery. From handmade linocut relief prints to wood-burned wall hangings, Chris's style favors those with a taste for the niche. 

Get ready for another fantastic First Friday at Edge Optics this September!  We’re excited to have the Sean Waters Duo back bringing live music, delicious eats from The Smoke Post food truck, and stunning art by Lexie Skeen, Sarah Bott & Scrap Ceramics. Plus, don’t miss our unique Outer Eye Iris photography experience. Join us for an evening of creativity, community, and fun! ‍

Join us for new works of art by Cindy Burkhart, accompanied by live music by The Ugly Architect, snacks, and as always, fresh herbal tea.

Cindy Burkhart is an artist and educator living in Fort Collins, CO. After more than 30 years of making art with students – in schools, community centers, libraries, parks and her own kitchen – she is finally giving herself the freedom to play on her own. Creating community through art is one of her primary reasons for being. Dogs and mountains are two others. 

“How Does Your Garden?” is a series of drawings inspired by my reading of Camille Dungy’s book Soil. Dungy inspired me to think about gardens – about our relationship to place when we plant and nurture, about what it means to be rooted, and about ways that we can collaborate with nature and with each other. I was sitting in my garden in the spring of 2024 feeling despair about the future – ecological, political, and personal – when I noticed a breeze catching up petals of the columbine, making the blooms dance on their delicate stems. Struck by the beauty and lightness of the moment I promised myself to focus more on moments like these, to make drawings that will be reminders of blooming even when the sky is gray and the plants seem dead. I began to sketch in my garden and to include little pieces of the sketches, the artistic “seeds”, in my larger drawings. As companion pieces to the drawings of blooming I include drawings of leavings. These ink and charcoal drawings take my attempts to collaborate with nature a step further, from my subject matter to my art-making process. In the fall of 2023 I began playing with making my own inks using everything from invasive tamarisk to gleanings from my compost bin. I am still experimenting, hoping to expand my homemade color palate, but I am appreciating that my shift towards foraged paints and inks leads me to literally connect with the land around me before beginning each new project. I can only begin where I am, and only begin because I have hope. I don’t think it was coincidence that I ran across a poem by Kyle Tran Myhre in which he writes, “Survival is not a fortress. It is a garden.”
www.cindyburkh.art

Follow your nose down our fragrantly illuminated marble staircase this First Friday in September and enter our magical 142bis gallerie. You'll find linen & papier creations by talented local woman artisans. Featuring ephemera collage pacquets from Ute of Handarbeit. Lavender filled linen sachets, “au  marché “ market totes & aprons also crafted by Ute under our 142bis couture label. From Judy of Dream Designs we have healing and cooling rice-filled linen and cotton"nummies". A selection of botanical french papers and dyed "fettuccine" silk ribbons are here for inspiration as well...

My name is Kevin Q. Dugan. I’m a Denver based artist and rap music enthusiast. Rapper portraits have made up the bulk of my work, but currently I’m working on a series of drawings of birds wearing sneakers. I love the intersection of hip-hop culture and nature, so birds rocking fly sneakers just makes sense to me. My intent for these drawings is to bring a little light and whimsy to these troubling times. When not making things I love riding my bike, birding, drinking beer, cooking and baking, reading and long walks around Sloan’s Lake.

The Canonical Art Collective is composed of Justin Fritz and Madeline Mendell. Madeline has a background in painting and sculpting and is the Art Director of TCA. Justin Fritz, CEO of TCA is a talented engineer-turned-artist. Together they have been mixing art and technology to create unique designs, processes, and products. Whether it be acrylic signs that glow under blacklight, wine/whiskey staves custom etched for your bars or home, or laser cut earrings designed directly out of the head of an artist, we can do it all. The TCA duo loves engaging with the community, so most of their products are custom-made for their customers. Come check out all they can do, and think about what they can do for you!

Marimba Matatu and Dance Afrik will perform Friday, Sept. 6, from 5:30-7:30 pm at the Global Village Museum of Arts and Cultures.  Marimba Matatu plays music from Zimbabwe that layers together in intricate ways, making melodies and sounds only heard when several people play together.  Dance Afrik is a high-energy, multi-generational drum and dance group dedicated to learning, teaching, and celebrating traditional African rhythms.  Through the kinetic conversation between the drummers and the dancers, the rich rhythms of African culture come alive.  The free entertainment accompanies free admission to the Museum from 5-8 pm for First Friday Art Walk.  In the Museum’s Main Gallery, One World, One Family honors indigenous peoples and cultures around the world.  The Museum’s Hall Gallery features photographs of Native American objects, and both exhibits run through Sept. 21.

Madalyn Walker is a natural dye artist from Fort Collins, CO who is very simply in love with growing flowers and imprinting them on fabric! Wearing one of her botanically dyed silk bandanas invites you to carry the energy of fresh blooms & sunshine with you all year long. Follow her on Instagram @indigoandgoldenrod

Kerri Sewolt is a Colorado native and has been living in Loveland for 12 years. She creates artwork pulling inspiration from her heart and from her imagination. Kerri loves working in acrylics creating happy and whimsical images while trying to incorporate her love of fun and humor into each piece.

https://kerrisewolt.pixels.com/

Art by Bear Tree Creative, rustic landscapes of the Rocky Mountains and the magic of wildness, and music by Eli & Mark Brady.

The NeuroPong™ Program by Table Tennis Connections and the Museum of Art in Fort Collins (MoA) are partnering to create an awareness and fundraising event called “Ping Pong With a Purpose”. The event will kick off Friday, September 6th during the Downtown Fort Collins First Friday Art Walk™. Our organization will occupy a space in the MoA during September 2024 to tell our stories through an art auction, music, dance, poetry, talks from experts, and of course, playing ping pong. We will have the opportunity to engage with our community and share our personal experiences living with Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s, and Mild Dementia.

Will Flowers is a local, independent artist who enjoys exploration of color and texture. While studying architecture at Montana State University, Will discovered his interest in color study, and exploring how colors interact and express emotion.

Will has been a real estate professional and brokerage owner for over 20 years, and is also employed by the City of Fort Collins, Real Estate Service. He serves on several cultural and creative industry boards, including the Fort Collins Symphony, the KRFC 88.9 FM Advisory Committee, as well as a Commissioner for the State of Colorado, 8th Judicial District, Performance Review Commission.

Karin King, with SoFoCo offers handmade, one-of-a-kind jewelry and fine accessories mixed in with vintage and gift items. Karin has been an artist in the Peacock's Perch since July of 2020. She and her husband, Russ, are Midwesterners and although they love Fort Collins they are heading back to the Midwest and want to share one last First Friday Art Walk with you. Karin offers fresh and  exclusive SoFoCo jewelry collections! She gathers unique and special lampwork beads, some even from her travels in the US and abroad, and mixes them with natural stones and fine jewelry finishes to create one-of-a-kind necklaces, bracelets and earrings that all coordinate. Then, she designs a new collection that is special and uniquely different from the previous.  "I am happy to share my creative side at Peacock's Perch and I will continue to do so. It'll just be a few miles away."

Share and spread your love of the outdoors with the next generation. Sept. 5 from 5:30-9 pm, we’re kicking off a fundraiser for Fort Collins High School’s Environmental Leadership class with live Blue Grass music. 

During the party and all weekend, 15 percent of sales goes to the FCHS 5-day outdoor education experience where students will live, eat, hike and learn together.  

Join the fun to learn more and help support this program that focuses on students gaining a sense of self, understanding mountain ecology and environment and working together to build a greater sense of community. 

For the month of September we are featuring local Fort Collins artist Patsy Barry. We'll have a beautiful new collection of landscapes and wildlife paintings. Come visit and take a little trip around Colorado. 

Summer Allen is an intuitive painter and mixed media artist, originally hailing from the serene landscapes of Iowa. Growing up immersed in the natural beauty of the countryside, she spent her early years running through fields, swinging on weeping willows, and catching frogs. These rich experiences have profoundly influenced her artistic vision and creative process.For three decades, Summer has lived in Colorado, crisscrossing this beautiful state she is continuously amazed by its stunning landscape. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Western State University in Gunnison, Colorado. With a harmonious blend of intuition, spirituality, and creative technique, Summer's work transcends the ordinary, inviting viewers into a world where the mystical and the natural coalesce.Each piece she creates is a testament to her lifelong bond with nature and her ongoing spiritual exploration. By immersing herself in the rich tapestry of both her external and internal landscapes, Summer Allen continues to craft evocative and transformative art that resonates with the soul.

Join us for First Friday Art Opening with new paintings by Emma Rose, and a live DJ set by Johannes Meininghaus.  Stick around for an after hours dance party starting around 10 pm! “Emma Rose doesn’t know any of these people.” "Johannes Meininghaus weaves an intricate and hypnotic soundscape of melodic Berlin electro and house, powered by live programming, looping and instrumentation". @therosiepainter