Saturday after the First Friday

I hardly ever blog. In fact, I only blog when something really cool happens, (for example, my only other blog was about Barack Obama's election night). Last night's event at the gallery inspired me to sit down at work today and write.

The First Friday at LMC last night was truly incredible. As Lyndsay wrote below, we had a huge community event as a way to Art It Forward in these tough economic times. Although I'm always proud to work for Lyndsay, last night I felt that pride more than ever. Lyndsay has pushed the envelope of Jackson's art scene and constantly puts the arts community before her personal priorities. It has been an exhausting week, from squeezing in last minute art entries to the reorganizing and hanging of the entire gallery, but all those efforts were more than worth the outcome.

If I had to pick one word to describe the evening...it would be ENERGY. The gallery was bumping with art enthusiasts starting at 5:30. We had an early rush and people were so excited to take home their piece of free art (and promised me to art it forward!). I can say with 100% certainty that everyone who came by last night left with an authentic art experience. The community canvas far exceeded our expectations. It's amazing how each canvas can stand alone as a cohesive piece, considering there were probably 150 pARTicipants. What impressed me the most though was the immense variety of artistic efforts. Tony (another being creative) put together a video projection installation that somehow, through no effort at all, mirrored perfectly with DJ Mr. Whipple's turntables. The gallery was abuzz with the Teton Art Lab “guerrilla”/alternative space, as well as the huge guerilla painting hanging in the main gallery. Bland Hoke from the Center of Wonder had a public art petting zoo which provided an opportunity to discuss and eventually wear public art. Apparently, wearing a duck as a necklace is a great way to start conversations with strangers, (or so I hear).

Everyone was so excited to be involved and a part of something. I had dozens of people approach me thanking me for opening the gallery up to so many local artists. I replied with excitement and told them that Lyndsay was the mastermind behind the operation. Her ability to stretch the boundaries of creativity is beyond admirable. And on the other side of that coin, the artistic energy of this valley is so inspiring and refreshing. Each participant added their own flair of art to the gallery and for that energy, I think we should all be thankful. (If you took photos, don’t forget to send them to me so I can get them up on our blog! natalie@lmcontemporary.com)

So here I am at work, the Saturday after the First Friday. Usually this day consists of cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning. I was semi dreading going into the gallery this morning but was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. Save for the coat rack catastrophe and a plethora of hangers thrown around the gallery, it was remarkably clean. Even though we use corn-based cups, we had encouraged people to BYOC (bring your own cup) to limit the amount of trash that accumulates. I was shocked by the amount of people that came to the event with a cup in hand. I only had to empty 1/3 of the trash that I normally do, which excited me beyond belief. I look forward to less trash bags in the future!