Culture Crawl, er Third Friday, er *whatever*, it's this week

So the third Friday of the month is almost upon us, which means it's time for... Third Friday! Wait, make that, Culture Crawl!

What's this, you say? Well, partisan artisans have been duking it out a bit on local listservs, debating what the actual name of this key downtown Durham event should be. See, this little gathering -- a coordinated but relatively informal event where various galleries and art studios stay open late into the evenings on the third Friday each month.

Former Durhamite Caleb Southern was a key mover behind the old event, which was solidly and firmly known as Culture Crawl -- complete with a web site. But Southern and girlfriend Jo Anne Worthington headed to Belize (and, if rumors are to be believed, are back now in NYC), and Southern took the web site with him.

For a short time, it looked like the event might pass on, too. But locals Tanya Olson and Amy Weaver have worked to keep this informal event moving forward... now under the name Third Friday.

And that's where the controversy began -- a 20-message debate on the ABCDDurham listserv about what the event should be called, including a number of folks wanting to bring back the old name. Most of which missed the fact that this is a truly informal event, with no overarching sponsoring organization, no 501(c)3 guiding it, no funky blue flyers with an overabundance of Comic Sans font (thanks, Durham Rising!)

The debate missed this bigger point, and the fact that two people were stepping up into the void and keeping this gathering going. I say, thank you, and call it whatever you want.

A new website for the event and a new logo are coming soon from the organizers. For now, after the cut, this month's list of openings and showings.

Third Friday Durham
Friday, June 15th
6-9 (After Party 9-12)
Free

June is the most rhymable month on the calendar and on Friday, June
15th, Third Friday Durham rhymes with “cultural good-time hootenanny.”
How could that even be you ask?  Check out the happenings below and be
sure to work your way towards the After Party, this month at 305 South.
In even more exciting news, keep your eyes peeled for the new Third
Friday Durham logo.  We’ll preview a version at participating locations
this month and hot on its heels will be the new Third Friday website.
(Special thanks to Neural9 for designing and sponsoring.  They’re
awesome.) Questions, problems, concerns??  Contact us at olson@vgcc.edu
or agentweaver@gmail.com  Third Friday Durham.  Culture Happens Here.

The Garden Salon. 111 ½ W. Parrish St.  Photography by Elizabeth
Galecke, Nathan Clendenin, and Serena Boggs; Pastels by Elise Okrend; Fine Crafts
by the artists of Creative Juices.

Flywheel Design Gallery. 409 E. Chapel Hill St. Art Exhibit// Opening
Reception
Unanswered Metaphors in Dime Store Frames. New Work by Annette deFerrari
Exhibit runs from June 15 to August 15, 2007. Reception: Friday, June
15, 6 to 8pm
Open weekdays from 9:30am to 5pm

Warehouse Blues Series. West Village Apartments Courtyard. MusicMaker
presents music from Cyril Lance as part of the Warehouse Blues Series,
each Friday in June and July.

305 South. 305 S. Dillard St.  A display of oversized vintage printing
press pieces.

Scrap Exchange. 548 Foster St. The Scrap Exchange Gallery presents Art
Heels~ NC Art Therapy Association . Don't know what to do with those old
shoes? Make art out of them! This exhibit features shoe art by many
local artists, along with a children's shoe mandala. The opening
festivities include a fundraising benefit for the NC Art Therapy
Association with live music by The Blue Tailed Skinks, and Sawteeth
McTweedy and the Particles, silent auction and exhibit. Opening
reception is Friday June 15th from 6-9.  Remember to wear your wildest
shoes for the cake walk.

Claymakers.  705 Foster Street.  Opening reception for The Cup Show
6:30-8:30 PM.  Additional pottery and sculpture in the gallery by North
Carolina clay artists.

Durham Arts Council. 120 Morris St. The Durham Arts Council presents
paintings by artists LD White (Raleigh, NC) and Michael Mewborn
(Lynchburg, VA) in the Allenton and Semans Galleries.  Images of
Umstead, Allenton Gallery (main level) features the plein air works of
LD White.  This collection is the product of numerous trips made by
White to William B. Umstead State Park various times throughout the
year.  Her works capture variations in nature resulting from different
seasons and different times of the day.  She takes both digital camera
and paint box to record images that are then transformed into larger
paintings using oil paint, soft pastel, and oil pastel.
Recent Paintings, Semans Gallery (upper level) features the optical art
"op art" of Michael Mewborn.  These paintings are born out of the
artist's vivid imagination and highly creative series of rules resulting
in countless patterns and geometrical designs.  He does not mix colors,
but paints directly from the tube or jar allowing the viewer to get lost
in his creation as their eye negotiates the surface of the canvas moving
from one shape to the next.

BCAC (Bull City Arts Collaborative). 401.B1 Foster St. The BCAC is a
five person workspace and we have on display finished and in progress
works by Fort Grunt (Ben Fisher and Lou Joseph doing collaborative
painting and drawing) and the just completed Birdhouses fine press book
by Horse & Buggy Press featuring the photographs of Rob McDonald.
Work by the following guest artists is featured in our two member
curated exhibition spaces
BCAC Upfront Gallery
Silkscreen printmaking show by Jeremy Kerman of Durham. Through July 30
also open every Friday from noon to 2 and by appt. 949 4847
Fort Grunt Aquarium
"Comet's Wake/New Wishes
By Amze Emmons  (http://www.amzeemmons.com/
http://www.flickr.com/people/dianamarie/
through June 30
24/7 sidewalk viewing

Third Friday Durham After Party- 305 South.  305 S. Dillard St. Wrap up
your Third Friday Durham merriment with a dance party at 305 South.
They’ll be featuring D.J. Warm Hands and D.J. Pari, they have lots of
great snacks, plus coffee, tea, beer and soda, plus all the other
general merriment that is 305 South.  (And I didn’t even mention the
kissing booth.)  Come support one of our favorite Durham institutions
and celebrate Third Friday Durham.  Culture Happens Here.

Comments

[lisa b]

Couldn't they call it the "Third Friday Culture Crawl Art Walk," thus covering all their bases and leaving nothing to be misunderstood?

But the name "Third Friday" is a little lame, IMO. Didn't Raleigh do something called "First Friday"for a while (I seem to remember something like that). Do we want to even sorts kinda be copying Raleigh? I don't think so.

[JDC]

I don't know. I never liked the name "Culture Crawl." As if "culture" only existed in Durham on those nights, or that it had to be nicely planned and organized.

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