First Friday Gallery Crawl

The First Friday gallery crawl is a unique opportunity for thousands of students, families and art lovers to engage with local art each month at unique locations in Downtown and throughout the city. This grassroots event continues to thrive because of the collective vision and collaboration of galleries and artists.

As the name implies, First Friday happens the first Friday of each month. Hours vary between galleries, but most are open during the core hours of 7pm to 9pm. Most galleries use First Friday to unveil and debut new shows or as a closing reception. All venues are free and open to the public and several galleries incorporate artist demonstrations and/or live music. Not only does this event give guests the opportunity to view creative art space, it also is an excellent time to purchase one-of-a-kind artwork directly from artists.

Transportation Options
Explore the core and gallery hop using the free Q-LINE Trolley shuttle service that runs up and down Douglas Avenue. Electric scooter and bicycle rentals are also available. Discover additional transportation options.

First Friday Events

This month's First Friday will occur on September 6, 2019. Participating venues will be listed on this website no less than a week before the event.

Art House 310
310 South Laura Street 

Title of Exhibition: Art House 310 First Friday –  Robin Danks & Lindsey McFarland

Art House 310 First Friday – Robin Danks & Lindsey McFarland
Opening Reception | First Friday November 7th, 2025 | 6-10pm

This event is free to attend and open to the public. Show hangs through November 22nd, 2025. Art House 310 is located at 310 S. Laura. Two blocks SE of Douglas & Washington in downtown Wichita.

NOTE: Open gallery hours throughout the exhibition are generally Tuesday and Thursday, 6-9pm and Sunday, 1-4pm.

ROBIN DANKS

Robin Danks is a visual artist based in Wichita, Kansas. After a decades-long career in healthcare, she embraced art as her full-time pursuit, developing a practice known for its bold textures, vibrant palettes, and experimental mark-making. Working across acrylics, India ink, and mixed media, Danks challenges traditional boundaries while grounding her work in instinct, imagination, and expressive freedom.

See more of Robin’s work online at DanksyArt.com on Facebook: @DanksW3CreationsRobyn and on Instagram: @danksy.art.studio

LINDSEY MCFARLAND

“A Story In The Details”

I began drawing when I was a kid—mostly cartoons, sketching playful characters like Donald Duck, Scooby Doo and Winnie the Pooh, or creating my own comic strip stories. Art became a way for me to retreat into my own little world, a space where I could disconnect and dream. That’s where my love for art really took root.

As I got older, I explored different mediums, but I always found myself coming back to drawing with a black pen. There was something captivating about the boldness and simplicity of using a single pen—the way it allowed me to create with such clarity. It wasn’t until my late twenties that I finally found my own style. It all began with drawing pet portraits. I played with different techniques like scratch methods and textured shading. Eventually I stumbled across stippling, and something just clicked!

Through hours and hours of shading (and patience), I build my stippling drawings dot by dot with a .005 sized pen. I prefer the smaller sized pens to get as much detail as possible. Organic materials are my usual subjects; fur, bone, or plants. Going back to my childhood, I try to capture an “old storybook” energy with my drawings. As simple as these drawings may be, there is always a hidden story behind the creation of them. A single stippling drawing can take anywhere between 20-100 hours to compete. I am also a pet portrait artist by commission, check out my website or my Instagram page for my full portfolio.

When I need a break from the tedious stippling, I use linocut and print making as my secondary creative outlet. My linocut prints are a bit more abstract. I transfer these drawings onto linoleum, then carve and chip away at the surface. It satisfies a creative urge I never knew I had, and using different colors and paints makes the process feel more playful and relaxed compared to stippling.

I use both styles to reflect the full range of who I am, with a lot of precision and meticulous work. Creating pet portraits is something I’m deeply proud of, but my original work is where my personality shines — a little dark, a little whimsical, and a little shadow of what I love the most, to create.

See more of Lindsey’s work online at doodles-n-ink.square.site on Facebook: @doodlesnink and on Instagram: @doodlesnink

Artists in Old Town Studios
412 East Douglas Avenue 
(316) 267-5915

Featured Artists: Studio Artists

Title of Exhibition: Studio Artists

Event Description: Studio artists will be open. Come see us at Artists In Old Town Studios in the back of Gallery 12, 412 East Douglas in Wichita Kansas for First Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. We hope to see you. 

Check out all of the artworks at Gallery XII too.

Exhibition Hours: 6 to 8 p.m.

Midwest Center for Photography
1215 Franklin Street 

Title of Event: Petals and Leaves - Botanical Photography Exhibition

Opening Reception: Aug. 1, 7 to 9 p.m.

During this season of growth the Petals and Leaves exhibition will celebrate photographs of flowers and plants in all their forms. Petals of blossoming flowers and the simple emergence of leaves from the new growth of the season are welcoming visuals for the eyes after the long winter slumber. Photographs captured through the exploration of nature photography, still-life genres or through approaches of people interacting with floral and plant imagery are the types of images that are featured. This exhibition represents images from a wide spectrum of petals and leaves from plant varieties that are grown and appreciated in our lives.

EXHIBITION DATES: JULY 12 - AUGUST 1, 2025

RECEPTION: FIRST FRIDAY ICT, FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 7 - 9 P.M.

Exhibiting Artists: Mike Alexenko, Superior, CO; Shelly Beech, Superior, CO; Lillian Beiter, Delmar, NY; Donald Bolak, Wheeling, IL; Henry Bortman, San Francisco, CA; Ryn Clarke, Chagrin, OH; Mike Cordone, Sunnyside, NY; Debra Crouch, DeKalb, IN; James Davis, Houston, TX; John Diephouse, Lansing, MI; Marita Gootee, Starkville, MS; Kylo-Patrick Hart, Aledo, TX; Bonnie Johnson, Sedgwick, KS; Barbara Kantz, East Setauket, NY; Tim Keane, Hartland, WI; Katherine Koyak, Springfield, IL; Robert Marin, Wichita, KS; Jae McGee, Fort Wayne, IN; James Mullen, Portland, ME; Fern Nesson, Cambridge, MA; Linda Robinson, Wichita, KS; Les Schmidt, New Orleans, LA; Jan Terry, Chicago, IL; Erin Zatrine, Bellingham, WA.

For more information regarding "PETALS AND LEAVES" please visit: www.mwcponline.com

Future Dates

The majority of the galleries that currently participate in Final Friday have announced plans to shift their monthly event to First Friday, beginning in September. Since there is no "governing body" that oversees Final Friday, Downtown Wichita generally takes direction from what the majority of the local galleries wish to do. As of now, Downtown Wichita plans to transition the Final Friday calendar to First Friday beginning in September as well. In order to make this transition as seamless as possible, the usual listing and interactive map for both the August Final Friday (August 30) and September First Friday (September 6) will be created.

Mark your calendars for the following 2019 First Friday dates to never miss an event:

  • September 6
  • October 4
  • November 1
  • December 6

Submit Your Event

Are you an artist or gallery owner interested in being included on the First Friday list? Contact us for more information. Since there is no designated organizing body for First Friday, all participating venues are required to do their own marketing and advertising. Downtown Wichita does provide a listing on our website of all venues that are participating for the general public and visitors to use.

Submit your Final Friday exhibit info no less than one week prior to the event in the following format to be listed on the Downtown Wichita website. Fill-out the form below or email your submission to megan@downtownwichita.org.