First Fridays in Downtown Greenville                                                  By Elizabeth Bagwell Looking for something to do on the first Friday of each month?  Then look no further than downtown Greenville, SC, where you can visit over twenty-five art galleries and artists studios for free! The first Friday of every month the doors of over twenty-five art galleries and studio spaces in downtown Greenville open up for the public to browse, enjoy, and purchase local art.  Kim Sholly, a Board Member for First Fridays, said the concept of First Fridays began about two years ago when several local gallery owners decided there was a need for some type of gallery crawl (where several galleries in close proximity of each other open their doors for the public to visit) in the downtown area, and one by one galleries and studio spaces joined the downtown crawl tour.  Today, the list of galleries and studio spaces open to the public has grown to more than twenty-five.  The concept of First Fridays was put into effect in the Spring of 2005 and has been steadily gathering larger and larger crowds since its inception.  First Fridays goal is, “To promote visual art awareness in our community and provide a venue for showcasing emerging and established artists in our area. To combine resources of gallery owners and artists to create beneficial exposure for both.”  As its name states, First Fridays occur on the first Friday of each month from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  A wide range of works are present at the different galleries and artists studios, ranging from oils, watercolors, acrylics, pottery, jewelry, glassworks, woodworks, photography, and mixed media. One artist whose work can be seen at First Fridays is Dorman High School art teacher, Robert Urban.  Urban exhibits his unique mixed-media paintings at Liz Daly Designs (640 South Main Street, Greenville, SC).  A life- long artist who has been drawing since he was five has been participating in First Fridays since October 2005 says, “First Fridays are a great time to see art and socialize with others who enjoy art also.  Since last summer…the attendance has steadily grown.” There are many bonus aspects of First Fridays besides being able to meet other like-minded art goers in the Upstate.  One of them is the benefits economically for both the artists and galleries who exhibit and for the downtown Greenville area.  When asked if he felt First Fridays has been beneficial to Downtown Greenville, Urban said, “Absolutely.  I know it has been very beneficial to me.  It’s great exposure for the artists and the galleries.  During the past year, I have sold a painting at ten of the thirteen First Fridays I have had artwork available.”  Urban is also now noticing repeat customers who are coming back for more of the “painted collages” he creates with acrylic paints diluted with gloss medium.  Urban loves to layer the transparent colors of diluted acrylics over one another to create a transparent effect.   Urban feels that “more people are attending [First Fridays]….people who maybe normally don’t attend art events.  So that’s a good thing, it’s reaching a cross-section of the community.”  When asked if one month is more popular than another, Urban replied that the crowds have been great for each month and seem to continue to grow with each passing month.  This past First Friday for the month of October had a tremendous turnout, and Urban feels that “the end of the year months, October-December are always excellent.  December might be the most popular month…people are always looking for gift ideas I think.” First Fridays in Downtown Greenville are an excellent way to view some great art, meet interesting people, and to get to know the Upstate art community better.  What better way can you have a free night of entertainment, and experience so many different galleries and artist studios for free all at one time?!?!?!