I was really excited to finally attend a First Friday. I have not been able to attend any since the first month of freshman year because of my various jobs. My plans once again got ruined because of a dinner rush at Kitchen 64, but really we should have just gone out to eat earlier. Oh well. I ended up visiting various galleries on Monday of spring break. Little did I know that most galleries are closed on Mondays.... but a few doors were unlocked, so it kind of felt like a VIP tour being with only 2 other people viewing the displayed art. I visited both ISHQ and Quirk. ISHQ was the first gallery I visited, and I was impressed by the intricate patterns and details put into some of the textiles. I like how they separated the various types of art; the paintings were displayed together, and the textiles were displayed together in another location. I believe I was most drawn to all of the little random pots, stamps, and books that were underneath the paintings. I felt as if they were little tidbits of inspiration that the artist took, and we just got a little glance into his/her world. The woman that was in the gallery was very nice to us and answered any and all questions. Overall it was an excellent atmosphere to appreciate art work in a medium that I am not necessarily all that familiar with.
We then adventured over to Quirk gallery, which I found quite interesting. The front section of Quirk is basically a little store, and then it transformed into a traditional gallery setting (white walls, open space, etc), and then again into a chaotic little store. I was a little confused by this meshing of appreciating art and buying souvenirs. It did not bother me when we first walked in, because I was very, very interested in all of the handmade jewelry. I am such a sucker for jewelry. After pulling myself away from the objects that frequently do much damage to my wallet, I found myself viewing art work by my advisor for school, which I found quite delightful. I did find much repetition in her work, which is not always a bad thing. I know that sometimes there are things that one interprets many different ways, and that can be displayed through a simple color change or switch in direction of the detailed feet and hands that she created. I found all the details and intricacy of these little drawings to be beautiful displayed against what looked like dyed pieces of ripped paper. After viewing Susan's work, I ventured back farther into Quirk to find yet another little store. This time I was not pulled into its tricks. I did not find any of the objects to be worth buying, or even looking at. It seemed like souvenirs, manufactured things that do not really mean anything to anyone. I would much rather see something like the front of the store, with handmade objects and crazy colors and patterns, in which you can see the passion and time that the artist put into the object. After Quirk gallery, we ventured around for a little longer, only to realize that most galleries really are closed on Mondays. I have already called off work for the next first friday, and hopefully I will be able to get the actual Richmond first friday experience.
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