Hey, It's Cool, You Can Bring Your Green Fedora

Helping you get prepped for the artistic part of Spokane's 'First Friday'

published, Gonzaga Bulletin 2009

Media Credit: Hanne Zak The inside of Art, Music and More has a well-lit and intimate setting conducive for photgraph and art perusing. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Hanne Zak Teapot ladies, tentacled ladies, the Empyrean will feature art by Mariko Sullivan and Tiffany Patterson this Friday. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Hanne Zak Jundt continues its Violence! exhibit through April 4 [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Hanne Zak Jim Kolva hangs a Sandy Ayars watercolor in preparation for First Friday. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Hanne Zak A sampling of the pottery featured at Mark Moore and Chris Kelsey's Trackside Studios [Click to enlarge]

To some, publicly exhibited art seems to exist in a confusing, alternate world where bespectacled ladies and gentlemen go to sip chardonnay and hear themselves talk about whether splattered paint is a sign of their rotting postmodern existence or whether a milk jug with a knife in it speaks to an existential notion of uselessness … or something equally pretentious. Outside of the world of monocles and monogrammed handkerchiefs, art galleries conjure images of a stark white room with a small painted canvas hanging on the wall, its meaning elusive to the viewer, prompting them to return to their world of Pabst Blue Ribbon and reality TV, chalking the entire experience up to a befuddling fluke.

However, here in Spokane, many places are turning that stereotype on its head by offering cool, calm, unpretentious spaces to explore art of different kinds. For those who cannot recognize Klimt from Kirchner, Jasper Johns from Georgia O'Keefe or watercolor from acrylic, art galleries and studios like Art, Music and More, Kolva-Sullivan, Jundt Art Museum, and Trackside Studio invite art neophytes and experts alike to experience different mediums of visual art.

Additionally, cafes like the Empyrean and hipster hangout Baby Bar/Neato Burrito offer the chance to experience art while chowing or guzzling your way to contentment. Sometimes, puzzlingly, it appears like there is some sort of invisible force field between campus and downtown. However, a quick jaunt over the river toward downtown promises a new, fun way to view art.

Many of these cafes, galleries and studios participate in Spokane's hidden gem - First Friday. Like its homonymic relatives in other cities, is a specific time when local art exhibitors can show their work to the wider public in a fun, community-oriented event. The first Friday of every month, most of Spokane's downtown galleries (and a few in the Garland area) open their doors to eager art viewers. The event has amassed quite the following and is a certifiable must-do before your tenure at Gonzaga comes to a close.

Here's a look at some of Spokane's coolest art spaces:

Arts, Music and More

OK, so their name may not scream "awesome!" but Art, Music and More is an eclectic, loft-like space where music, painting, ceramics, jewelry design and crafts come together in a laidback environment. With exposed brick walls and a quaint, intimate live music stage in the back, AM&M exhibits art for sale, created by local artists. I first came to AM&M for a live music set (shout-out to GU student Kevin Vance for performing) and was surprised by their highly accessible artwork. Their exhibited pieces were displayed for the public in a way that was both inviting and unpretentious. Whether you go to AM&M for live music or visual arts, you will not be disappointed with the relaxed environment and the access to local artists' work. AM&M is located at 608 W. 2nd Ave.

Jundt Art

Many people on campus know the Jundt Museum as the dark building on the other side of campus that they have never been in. With its "museum" designation, Jundt is rumored to be an enigmatic place where stuffy art is exhibited - if it is even mentioned at all. While the museum's ultra-cool and locally acclaimed exhibit "Violence!" just recently closed, the senior thesis exhibit will be coming into the museum within the month. The senior thesis exhibit is a great way to experience art in a traditional museum setting while simultaneously supporting the work of our fellow students. The exact content of the exhibit remains to be seen, given the individualistic nature of the art department thesis program. However, the contents are sure to please. The Jundt Art Museum can be found between Jepson and Dussault.

The Empyrean

This chill coffeehouse has come to be known over the last two-and-a-half years for offering a quiet place to study or read if you're suffering from campus fever. However, not only do they offer delicious coffee drinks and decadent pastries, The Empyrean also features a vast array of cool paintings and ceramics created by local artists. Many times, according to the Empyrean staff, art comes from people who just like to kick it at the coffeehouse. The Empyrean also offers poetry readings, dramatic performances and live music. In fact, Gonzaga students will be putting on a play titled "American Buffalo" that runs at the venue April 23-26. The Empyrean is a great place to hang out and a perfect spot for dipping your toe into the proverbial waters of the art world. The Empyrean participates in First Friday and can be found at 154 S. Madison Street.

Kolva-Sullivan

Kolva-Sullivan is an intimate, funky gallery that features a wide variety of different art on a rotating schedule. This week, a show of watercolors by local artist Sandy Ayars moves in. Kolva-Sullivan participates in First Friday, and today will mark the opening of Ayars' first solo show in Spokane. Her beautiful and vibrant watercolors focus on beauty in nature. Her work features a notably relatable theme, as we all experience nature in our daily lives and her pieces have been described as "transforming the mundane into an artistic story."

While the studio is a working business that sells art, owner Jim Kolva describes the gallery as, at its core, "a space for artists." Sometimes the shows at Kolva-Sullivan are political, sometimes they are ecological, sometimes they are psychological - but they seem to be always relatable. The vibe when I spoke to Kolva was relaxed, yet informative, an ethos that seems to permeate the space. Kolva-Sullivan is the perfect place to go if you want to learn more about the art you are seeing in an inquisitive environment, or if you are an artist yourself looking to speak with knowledgeable staff about deeper meanings in visual art. It's a refuge from the derelict atmosphere outside of the gallery. Kolva-Sullivan is located at 115 S. Adams.

Trackside Studios

In the same building as Kolva-Sullivan, Trackside Studio is a ceramics studio and gallery featuring the works of Mark Moore and Chris Kelsey. One of the owners, Moore, is a graduate of GU. The space, with high ceilings and large open front windows, is a bright and inviting place to check out pottery and sculpture. Upon entering, it seemed like a place made for young people. Music played in the background and I asked myself, "Is this one of my Pandora stations?" and the staff was amiable, helpful and not snobbish in the least. Trackside is a good place for budding artists to go to see art being made in a relaxed, open environment.

When I walked into Trackside, it was evident that they were preparing for First Friday and falling quickly behind. "It's hard to keep a pottery shop clean," explained Chris. Unfortunately for Chris, the Thursday snowfall had drawn his partner Mike to the mountains, so he was left to fend for himself. And he had a lot of work to do. Lucky for me, some of the pottery had already been assembled and arranged, so I was able to take in a fairly august preview of what was to come. Expect arrangements of upper-echelon pottery that will soon be imitated inside of your IKEA and Pier 1 Imports catalogue. Trackside is located at 115 S. Adams.


If you're bored of the same stale house parties, the eardrum-blasting party music and the incessant beer pong - or if you're simply up for some variety - try something new. Head out to Spokane's First Friday to see some local art in inviting, warm, unpretentious galleries and enjoy the community. You will undoubtedly meet some great people, expose yourself to new art and experience a side of Spokane you may have never seen before.