INDIANAPOLIS — February First Friday, February 1 from 6-9 p.m., will feature several up-and-coming local artists at sites across the city. The Harrison Gallery will present “Black Spaces and Places,” new work by painter Courtland Blade. Blade received his MFA from the school of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston in affiliation with Tufts University in 2011. His work has been shown nationally and internationally and is in various public and private collections including the permanent collections of the University of Indianapolis, Indiana State University, DePauw University, Sishang Art Museum and the Eskenazi Health collection.
Also at the Harrison, in the City Gallery, mixed media artist Lorie Lee Andrews debuts a new body of work, “Building Possibilities.” In the Speck Gallery, “ROAM” by Kate Oberreich features largely new mixed media paintings with materials ranging from acrylic paint to pastel, and chalk to house paint and embroidery. Naptown Stomp returns with swing dancing in the gym. The Harrison is located at 1505 N. Delaware St.
Check out the Market at the Lodge in Irvington on First Friday beginning at 4 p.m. for vendors featuring vintage, handmade and unique items. Then run downstairs to Hampton Designs Studio, Irvington Books & Vinyl, and LVL UP Gaming — all at 5515 E. Washington St.
Circle City Industrial Complex, located at 1125 Brookside Ave., has become an important site on the First Friday circuit. With 90 artists in the building, plus small local businesses such as Lick Ice Cream, Center Point Brewing Company, and 8th Day Distillery in the complex, it is a hopping scene. To accommodate more art lovers, the CCIC has started offering “+Saturdays” from noon-4 p.m. with open studios and shops. This month, mixed-media artist, illustrator and graphic designer Shelby Alexander will be opening her studio to the public and exhibiting her most recent body of large-scale mixed-media work, in addition to a series of miniature pieces that make for affordable gifts. Shelby Alexander is located in Studio 42 on the second floor of the North Studios.
Garfield Park Arts Center on the southside will open their Black History Month Art Exhibit, featuring some of the best African-American artists in the Indianapolis area.
