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Just the same way cells make up the living organism of your body, a community is made up of people, and these people make up the living organism of the community. The way communities used to express themselves was through song, dance, drama, primal language —  not to tell her story or his story, but our story. We [now] live in a very commodified world, and so we buy music, we buy dance, we buy paintings, we buy drama. We pay strangers to tell us stories about strangers, yet when do we get together as living communities to use this primal language to tell our stories?”

 

                                                      ~ David Diamond, speaking at the Banff Centre for the Arts.

1st Fridays is a forum for artists in Penticton to get together as a “living community”. Our goal with 1st Fridays is twofold — first, we hope to provide a public forum for artists, musicians, and performers. The program is open to all ages, and encourages the sharing of any art, music or type of performance; thereby creating an atmosphere where younger artists can interact and learn from older, more established artists and vice versa. Secondly, we strive to be a place where the arts are celebrated and shared outside of the realm of commercialism. There is no admission charge so this program is accessible to everyone, regardless of financial situation.
1st Fridays acts as a community living room – a place for new artists in the community to meet like-minded people in a supportive environment. The night unfolds as a spontaneous lineup of artists and musical acts. In addition, participants read poetry, tell stories, and share visual art. We have had people screen new media pieces, and often visitors set up their paints and drawing materials on the tables provided.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, we would love to hear from you. Please email us at events@pentictonartgallery.com