First Friday Celebrates 20 Years
Tonight, the First Friday Foundation is celebrating a momentous milestone – two whole decades of bringing light and life to the Arts District!
“We are very excited to celebrate 20 years of First Friday with the community,” said Corey Fagan, the Executive Director of the Foundation. “While honoring the journey of the past 20 years, we are even more excited for the next decade of bringing people together, supporting small businesses, and providing space for artists to continue to create and heal our world.”
Over the past two decades, the Foundation helped grow this area of Downtown Las Vegas and turned it into a thriving center of commerce, collaboration, and community. Before the festival began back in 2002, the surrounding area was largely run down.
As the Foundation celebrated and supported local artists over the years through various mural projects and more, a community and local culture blossomed. This area has since grown to become a world-renowned epicenter of art.
Looking to the future, Fagan said, “First Friday will continue to support the development of the Arts District and collaborate with community partners to make a positive contribution within the city of Las Vegas.”
To honor the ongoing commitment to bringing people from all walks of life together to connect through art, October’s festival celebrates the theme of ‘One World Through Art.’ This theme works to highlight artists and organizations representing different cultures from around the world.
One of the Arts District’s very own local artists and gallery owners, Izaac Zevalking (A.K.A. Recycled Propaganda), is this month’s featured artist.
Impacting the Community
First Friday has done more than just beautify the Arts District; it’s grown and strengthened an entire community of artists, creatives, and others around it who are drawn to the energy the monthly festival has created over the years.
For some, it has allowed an outlet for their creativity, provided a source of inspiration, and so much more.
Local Artists
Mila May, a local artist who vends at the festival as Green Morning Art, said that First Friday made her the artist she is today.
“I started popping up last year, and in this short time, I grew so much as an artist,” she said. “First Friday has helped me in so many ways, and I am so grateful to be a part of this community and the rhythm First Friday gives to my creative life.”
Mary Felker, A.K.A Mary on Adventures, shared that the festival helped her elevate her brand by providing an avenue to share her art with the Las Vegas community.
“I’m able to make new connections with community members and leaders, other artists, and lifelong customers that further my career as an artist,” she said. “First Friday is an accessible, fun event meant for everyone in our Vegas community and encourages a growing art community.”
Makers and Creatives
First Friday is more than just a festival for artists; it’s a festival for makers and creatives of all kinds!
Katrina Stroughter, owner of Mooncraft Gifts, creates many different things she sells through her business! First Friday has helped her business grow tremendously and strengthen the network of connections she’s made along the way, which has allowed her to pursue her small handmade business full-time.
“The First Friday Foundation is a pioneer in the Las Vegas art community. Each month, the organization keeps every event fresh by establishing a new monthly theme, which keeps visitors coming back – time and time again. When you walk the streets of First Friday, you can’t deny the sense of connection that every person feels in that moment,” she said. “First Friday has curated such a unique and welcoming atmosphere for both the artists and attendees. As an artist, this is extremely appreciated because I am free to create without bounds or fear of being judged.”
Natasha Woodruff, owner of Paws Off The Table and now a festival staple, serves delicious treats to the dogs that visit the event with their owners.
“First Friday has been a huge building block to me finding my shine in a city full of lights. Thank you, First Friday Foundation, for the support and love,” she said. “First Friday = Community of Creators. We are more powerful when we empower each other and acknowledge we are all creators of a larger picture.
Corrie Jenkins, owner of Bohemian Boro, a family-run Pahrump-based glass-blowing business, shared that she and her family love First Friday. They’ve been a part of the festival for almost four years now.
“The community has been very supportive of our glass art,” she said. “Because of the support of First Friday, it has allowed us to be full-time glass artists. It has provided us the opportunity to share our art with all of Las Vegas, and for that, we are very thankful.”
Uli Auliani, the owner of Auliani Plants, shared how First Friday has helped her business “bring nature to the future!” and that the Foundation’s motto of “Connect. Inspire. Support.” has allowed for a more intimate and engaging experience with people in person and provide her business the opportunity to grow.
“As a small business owner, to have First Friday, it’s a constant reminder of why we started our business and challenge ourselves to keep going and not give up,” she said. “Our mission is to put a smile on our customer’s faces and reminds us to give love unconditionally to others, ourselves, and Mother Nature.”
First Friday in One Word
When asked to describe First Friday in one word, people shared that it was hard to narrow down, but the following are what stood out the most to them.
“Eye-opening,” Mary Felker said.
“Empowering,” Katrina Stroughter said.
“Can’t have a community of creators without “UNITY,” Natasha Woodruff said.
Sharee Macy, the producer of the festival, in a video about the First Friday Foundation, shared that her one word is “Community.”
All of these words, and so many more, perfectly describe this phenomenal festival and all that it has to offer.
A Personal Note About First Friday
First Friday has been a long-standing, immensely important part of the Las Vegas community for two decades now. I remember when I was in eighth grade and went for the first time, back when the event was across the street from where it is now and much smaller. Seeing how it’s grown over the years and how it’s changed the community is something that any Las Vegas resident can feel a sense of pride and excitement about.
When I first interviewed Corey Fagan in December of 2019 in a podcast about the First Friday Foundation, I had no idea how much the Foundation would end up impacting my life. Shortly after my podcast interview and a successful activation at the December festival, where we encouraged sustainable holiday opportunities, I was offered a position to work in the office! It had always been a dream of mine to be involved with the Foundation and be a part of this community treasure.
Shortly after, though, the pandemic hit, and the office, and the festival, closed down for a year. When Corey called me in March of 2021 and asked if I was interested in returning and being a part of the festival again, I was ecstatic! I’ve been back ever since, and I look forward to being a part of what makes the festival and the Foundation so wonderful for a long time to come.
What First Friday Means to Me
First Friday is more than just a job to me. It’s given me a place within the community I never knew I’d be able to fit into, like a puzzle piece placed into this big, beautiful, ever-growing picture. I don’t just work in the office or help set up for the festival; I get to connect with people every month who are so passionate about their work and the community at large. I get to hear people’s stories about what inspires them to create and what inspires them to take the step of making their passion their business.
As you may have noticed, many of the people, businesses, and organizations I’ve covered in the magazine are First Friday vendors. The festival is what brought me to these amazing people, and I am grateful for the opportunity to connect with them and share their stories.
It is truly a gift to be a part of something like the First Friday Foundation, and I am grateful for all I’ve gained from my work with it and how much it has helped me grow as a person, a creative, and as a member of the Las Vegas community.
Additionally, I am so grateful for Corey Fagan, and I am honored to work with her and help her however I can and for her inviting me to be a part of the First Friday family. I’ve never known someone with so much compassion and kindness, and consideration, and it’s an honor to learn from her and grow as a person in the process.
My Own “One Word”
If I could personally describe First Friday in one word, which is truly no easy task, I would say “life-giving.” To expand on that, I say life-giving for many reasons.
It’s life-giving because it has given life to a once-run-down area of our community and built it into a bright and beautiful area of community and culture.
It’s life-giving in the sense that it inspires people to live, to choose life, and to love life because there is truly so much to experience.
And it’s life-giving because it personally fills me with so much joy and fulfillment in my own life, and it gives me a sense of community and pride in that community.
I was in a dark, uncertain place when I first began my journey with First Friday. I was unsure of what direction to take my magazine and if it was even worth it to continue, and really didn’t know if what I was doing was worth it or meaningful for others. First Friday brought light and life not just to me, but to my own passions and endeavors. I was also very unsure of myself as a person and unsure of my capabilities. First Friday has helped me grow a sense of confidence I never knew I was capable of.
Everything about First Friday–the mission it pursues, the work that it does, and the community it continues to grow–is what inspires me to go out every month of the year and work a 14-hour day, even in the extreme heat of our summer months, and be a part of the festival. I am never not excited to work the festival, no matter how hot it gets or how difficult the job can be at times.
First Friday has given me life, it’s given me purpose, and it has continually renewed my passion and love for this community and everything I do. It is dear to my heart and something I will forever cherish.
#GetinMotion With First Friday
The First Friday Foundation is more than just a nonprofit putting on a monthly festival; it also works to “extend its community outreach efforts well beyond the first Friday of each month.”
Join in the celebration at the festival this Friday, October 7th, from 5 to 11 PM in the Arts District off of Charleston Boulevard and Main Street. Parking is first come, first served on streets surrounding the festival. Parking near the festival at 1000 Commerce is available for $25. There is also parking for $6 at the City Parking Garage on 500 South Main Street with free shuttle service to the event on the Downtown Loop.
Follow the First Friday Foundation on Instagram to get the latest news about the festival! Visit their website to learn more about the organization or donate to support local projects like art classes and murals.
