Gallery Night in Ithaca

Art explodes into Downtown Ithaca this May with over a dozen shows and exhibits as part of First Friday Gallery Night on May 7th. A host of new venues and artists will be making their First Friday Gallery Night debut. Among the new locations and new faces will be Jon Reis’ recently moved studio space above Handwork (102 W. State St.), the brand new collaborative art space Good Works studio in the Dewitt mall and the newly relocated Spirit and Kitsch space located above the State of the Art Gallery. The multitude of venues for May’s Gallery Night is only matched by the variety of media that will be on display. Everything from Mexican inspired designs to experimental music will be made available to the public on the evening of May 7th from 5 – 8 pm. New to Gallery Night this month is Jon Reis Photography. Jon Reis will be showing photos from his rock and roll collection, included in this series are the famous Ithaca concerts in 1977 by the Talking Heads and Grateful Dead. Also new to Gallery Night in May will be the Good Works studio. Good Works is the monthly collaborative gallery of Ithaca-area artists Paul McMillan, Carlton Manzano, Ryan Curtis and Ed Marion that aims to inspire other good works by donating a portion of their proceeds to local charities. In a return to Gallery Nights of the past Alice Muhlback and the fanciful creatures of Spirit and Kitsch will be making a come back in their new home located directly above the State of the Art Gallery.From brand new additions to Gallery Night veterans, May will feature an array of Gallery Night stalwarts in addition to new comers. Celebrating their 10th anniversary will be the Ink Shop. The 10th Anniversary exhibit, on display in the CSMA gallery, is the first in a series of shows celebrating their first decade. The show will feature Ink Shop artists plus printmakers from across the country. Veteran gallery night participants Sola Gallery and Titus Gallery will likewise feature exhibits of varying printmaking techniques. Titus Gallery will feature limited edition lithographs, while Sola Gallery will play host to contemporary Japanese prints.Perennial Gallery Night venues, State of the Art Gallery, Collegetown Bagels, CAP Artspace, Belle Melange and the History Center further round out May’s extensive gallery night roster. State of the Art Gallery will feature their first member show of 2010 including the introduction of three new members while Collegetown Bagels will feature oil paintings by Paul McMillan, CAP will present oil paintings by Amanda Vella, Belle Melange brings an exciting re-imagination of Mexican design by Mary Reynolds and the History Center continues their Hungarian Folk Art series with an additional display by rural photographer Verne Morton. Returning for a second Gallery Night installment in May will be the Frame Shop with a feature presentation of “Intimate Portraits” by photographer Melissa Groo and Oasis/Greenstar with a photography exhibit of landscapes by Stan Bowman. Additional photography can be seen at American Crafts where the work of Quincy Dein will be the feature. While upstairs at WildFire there will be experimental music accompanied by the live painting of NMG and upstairs at Handwork the handcrafted jewelry of Andrea Koschmann at Draya’s Designs will be on display. First Friday Gallery Night is free and open to the public. All of the participating galleries are within a short walking distance of one another, and maps with information about the exhibits taking place at each gallery will be available that evening along the Ithaca Commons. For more information, visit the First Friday Gallery Night website at www.gallerynightithaca.com, or the Downtown Ithaca Alliance website at www.downtownithaca.com.