Blog
-
This Friday: Last Fridays on Main Wednesday, May 26, 2010
If you take a stroll down Main Street, you’ll be sure to notice the many studios, galleries, and creative enterprises nestled in Southside neighborhoods and on trafficked thoroughfares. Main Street has emerged as the epicenter for working artists in Chattanooga, many of whom moved to the urban district as part of the ArtsMove artist relocation program, a collaborative effort of Choose Chattanooga and CreateHere.
To showcase Main Street’s exciting happenings, many of these spaces will be open to the larger public every last Friday of the month (until November) from 5 – 8 pm as part of Last Fridays on Main.
Inspired by the eclecticism and creativity of the annual Main x 24 Southside event every December, Last Fridays on Main attempts to harness that energy for the rest of the year by showcasing one of our district’s most precious assets: our artists.
The Southside will be bustling this Friday evening with Last Fridays on Main and we hope to see you there. We’ll be featuring some live music here at 55 E. Main, but here’s a list of other open venues coupled with the exciting creative opportunities they’ll be offering.
CIAO BELLA (1415 Market St.)
Chattanooga’s fashionable boutique is conveniently located in the Southside District across from the famous Chattanooga Choo-Choo. Fine clothing and complementary accessories.SET IN STONE (306 W Main St., Suite 114)
Featuring concrete countertops and functional art. Brothers Jeremiah and Nathan Smith are two local craftsmen using local materials to craft custom hand-made products for your home. (See their Fence Art, “Spare Parts,” at 301 E. Main St.).STUDIO 2/ GALLERY 2 (27 W. Main St.)
Owner/Artist Vicki White features regional fine art and quality framing.RED HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHY (55 E. Main St., Suite 104)
Owned and operated by award-winning wedding photojournalist Ricki Chester, this studio specializes in the contemporary, intimate, and artistic.AREA 61 (61 E. Main St.)
A space for craftspersons and artists to showcase and sell their work between art shows, openings, and festivals. Patrons can also work with any of the artists and crafts persons to create their own one-of-a-kind piece.OUTDOOR CLIMBING WALL (Parking lot of the Mitchell Ave YMCA)
Tennessee Bouldering Authority (TBA) is an indoor climbing gym located in St. Elmo. For this Last Friday event, they’re setting up a unique portable climbing wall, providing fun challenges for kids of all ages.MIKI BONI STUDIOS (1611 Mitchell Ave.)
Trained as a classical portraitist, Miki Boni chose a more spirited approach to her facescapes. Contrary to the humorless and the mundane, her world is charged with mischievous wit and occasional absurdity. Featuring: Chattanooga Facescapes.
IGNIS GLASS AND CHRISTOPHER MOSEY STUDIO (1800 Rossville Avenue, Suite 4)
Ignis artists will be blowing glass and raffling the evening’s creations. Located side-by-side in the Off-Main Art District on Rossville Avenue, the glass blowing studio, in tandem with Ignis, offers the public a rare chance to watch the dramatic glass-blowing process and see the finished display pieces.ART X-TRACTOR (At Ignis Glass)
This amazing, interactive machine invites guests to choose 3-5 pieces of ephemera, place them into a slot, and within minutes a one-of-a-kind piece of art pops out. Each is a mini masterpiece uniquely reflecting both the artist and the person who chose the materials. The Art X-tractor appears at different venues each month, featuring different artists.HASKEL SEARS DESIGN (1800 Rossville Ave. Suite 8)
Matt Sears founded Haskel Sears Design in Chattanooga in 2005. A core value of sustaining the environment leads Matt to build with reclaimed lumber, environ-mentally sensitive adhesives and finishes, and smarter use and reuse of resources. Each contemporary heirloom is constructed around nature and its possibilities, and taps into the beauty and strength of the wood.Be sure to check out Last Fridays on Main on Facebook for frequent updates about local artistic happenings.
