Submitted by Downtown Camas Association
First Friday is coming to downtown Camas September 4 and the theme is “Plein Air & Virtual Art First Friday!” where local art is celebrated the full week of First Friday. This event is a combination of plein air painting, art shows and after-hours shopping on First Friday, and a collaborative art piece and virtual art-inspired activities all week. There is also a special virtual ribbon cutting of the recently installed Historic Mill Photo Collage art piece which pays tribute to the town’s mill history.
Watch for a new art game or activity posted on the Downtown Camas First Friday Facebook Page every morning August 30 – September 4. There will be prize winners chosen from those who post on the daily activities and these winners will be announced on the Facebook Live event at 5:00 p.m. on First Friday September 4th. This event also offers many more opportunities to win for watching and participating.
The Downtown Camas Association will also be inviting the community to join them in a collaborative art project with the theme “Let’s Root For Each Other and Watch Each Other Grow” where artists young and old can create a colorful flower and add it to the community flower pot on the window of 334 NE 4th across the street from the Liberty Theatre. Free art supply bags for this project will be available at Caffe Piccolo, 400 NE 4th starting August 30. Flowers can be added to the artful pot the full First Friday week.
The virtual daily activities include:
- Sunday – Create Your Art & Share!
- Monday – Can you guess what this is? (Artful pictures from Downtown Camas)
- Tuesday – Out of the Box Art: post your favorite example of these kinds of art: car art, sand art, hair art, food art, floral art and tattoo art!
- Wednesday – Pick & Pic! – pick your favorite art item and post a picture of your favorite piece of art in your home!
- Thursday – Guess the Famous Artist
- Friday – Merchant Passport – Name that Famous Art! (passport will be posted on Thursday morning so there is plenty of time to complete it)
- Facebook LIVE Event – First Friday, September 4 at 5:00 p.m. on the Downtown Camas First Friday page where the winners will be announced and you can win prizes for watching and participating.
In addition to the week-long activities, Attic Gallery and Camas Gallery will each be revealing new art on First Friday evening, 5-8pm. Camas Gallery will be showcasing the plein air art that will be created during the day throughout town. You’ll be able to view the art which will be hosted outside Camas Gallery and vote for your favorite piece. To participate as an artist, you can find the application on the Camas Gallery website.
At 4:00 p.m. on First Friday there will be a Facebook Live Virtual Ribbon Cutting for the newest art installation in Downtown Camas, the Historic Mill Photo Collage, which pays tribute to the mill and what it has meant to Camas. This can be watched on the Downtown Camas Association Facebook page. The collage, found at 4th and Adams, tells the story of the importance of the mill as well as has a QR code link to a historic walking tour through Downtown Camas.
“Camas is a truly artful town and we are excited to again have plein air art happening in downtown and finally being able to officially celebrate and do a ribbon cutting for the Historic Mill Photo Collage,” says Carrie Schulstad, the Executive Director of the DCA. “COVID has prevented a full in-person ribbon cutting so we’re going virtual! We also have so many fun artful activities planned this month, both virtual and in downtown. Plein air painting is inherently socially distanced, so it works!”
All the First Friday details and instructions can be found here and on the daily posts on the Downtown Camas First Friday page starting Sunday, August 30.
The DCA and Bear Insurance, the event sponsor, are donating all the gift card prizes to support downtown businesses during this time.
First Fridays are Art, Activities, Dining, and After Hours Shopping themed family friendly events coordinated by the DCA each month of the year to support downtown and develop community and are being held virtually until fully in-person First Friday events are again possible.
