The First Friday Peterborough art crawl returns on March 3, with highlights this month including the 7th Annual Book + Zine Fest at Artspace Peterborough, These Are The Artists In Your Neighbourhood at Watson & Lou’s Gallery of Sorts, and a 94-year-old Peterborough man’s first-ever art show at the Art School of Peterborough’s Launch Gallery.
The free, self-guided, family-friendly art crawl takes place every month at various galleries, businesses, venues, and artist studios, with most exhibits located in the downtown core — including several at the Commerce Building at 129 1/2 Hunter Street West — and with most open from 6 to 9 p.m. or later.
Artspace Peterborough’s Book + Zine Fest is a popular annual celebration of regional press, zine, comic, and paper arts featuring talented comics artists, graphic novelists, letterpress printers, zine makers, and more. You can drop by 378 Aylmer Street from 6 to 9 p.m. during First Friday, or visit from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Vendors at this year’s Book + Zine Fest include Elisha Rubacha, Angela Hennessey, Ben Hatcher, Kathryn Bahun, Bennett Bedoukian, Susie Armstrong, Erica Richmond, Bethany Davis, Marta Chudolinska, Christopher Green, Debbie Waker, Sonia Nickles, Ashley Hall, Josh Rosen, Adam Aylard, Anne Pasek, Joanne Hoang, Aditi Sharma, Sofia Benchafi, Tara Azzopardi, Rhea Shahe, Jeffrey Macklin, and Rob Niezen.
Public Energy and Mammalian Diving Reflex are hosting a launch and listening party from 6 to 10 p.m at Watson & Lou’s Gallery of Sorts (383 Water St.) for These Are The Artists In Your Neighbourhood, an audio-visual presentation of six heartfelt and silly conversations between students of a Grade 10 art class at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School and local artists Nicole Bauberger, Anita Murphy, Kathryn Durst, Alice Olsen Williams, Gillian Turnham, and Melanie Marion McCall.
“Together, We Paint” is an exhibit by Jose Miguel Hernandez Autorino and Bill McMillan from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Launch Gallery at The Art School of Peterborough (174A Charlotte St.). Bill is a 94-year-old Peterborough resident who just recently started oil painting again under Jose’s mentorship, and the two have become friends. This is Bill’s first show — on his 94th birthday.
“Portals of Curiosity” is Raine Knudsen’s first solo art show from 6 to 10 p.m. at Jason Wilkins Factory/Peterborough Arts Collective (188 Hunter St. W., #7). The self-proclaimed “Alchemist of Visual Vibrationz” will be sharing a full collection of her works, featuring paintings (including UV-reactive art), jewellery, amulets, and more.
Illustrator Kathryn Durst will be showing portraits and some of her other recent works from 6 to 10 p.m. at ACME Art and Sailboat Company (129 1/2 Hunter St. W. 2nd Floor).
Here are some of the other shows and exhibits taking place during First Friday Peterborough:
- “Past, Present and Future – A Trip through Augmented Reality” by Kim Beavis Sanderson at Francey Studio (129 1/2 Hunter St. W., Studio 3)
- New copper artwork by Joe Stable in the Copper Closet at ACME Art and Sailboat Company (129 1/2 Hunter St. W. 2nd Floor)
- “Clay: Body & Stone” by John Marris at Ludmila Gallery Studio #1 (129 1/2 Hunter St. W. 2nd Floor), with the exhibit running until March 26
- Works by 8th Troupe at The Neighbourhood Vintage (391 Water St.)
- Artworks by Hearts 4 Joy Creative Leaders Em Farquhar-Barrie and Kerri Kennedy at Hearts 4 Joy (203 Simcoe St., Unit 3)
- Live demonstrations and opportunities for people to try their hand at a few techniques at Artisans Centre Peterborough (360 George St. N., Peterborough Square Mall, lower level)
- “The Cherished Pine” by Beverly MacRae at Cork and Bean (382 George St. N.)
- “Paint Stories” by David Knighton at Dreams Cafe (138 Hunter St. W.), with the exhibit running until March 13
- Original works by Chris Vyn at Black Honey Cafe (217 Hunter St. W.), with the exhibit running until April 9
- Brutalist objects by Stan Olthuis (Verdunk) at Sustain Ecostore (418 George St. N.)
- Photographic portraits by Wayne Eardley at Sustain Ecostore (418 George St. N.)
- Environmental Portraits In collaboration with Black Lives Matter Peterborough Nogojiwanong by Jonathan Semugaza at Watson & Lou (383 Water St,)
- Works including hand-pulled relief prints by Rosanne Duke at The Food Shop (374 Water St.)
- Digital and analog film, painting, drawings, prints, and mixed media by Trent University Cultural Studies students at Traill College (315 Dublin St.), with a free workshop on risograph printmaking from 5 to 6 p.m. in Wallace Hall 127 followed by a catered reception and film screenings in Bagnani Hall from 7 to 9 p.m.
For more information about First Friday Peterborough, visit firstfridayptbo.com.
