I finished the packaging! No more rep boxes for me.I packaged until 4:30 ish, at which point we started getting ready for First Friday. Hammerpress is one of the stops on the First Friday circuit, so naturally Brady wanted the shop in top shape. We sweeped and scrubbed and priced for about an hour at which point Bobby, who I finally met, went to get beer and the party was started.
Hammerpress did indeed get busy. The garage door was opened and people came streaming through. Outside, Lindsay, Brady's partner, set up her vintage, 1950's, snowcone trailer much to the delight of the crowd. She was swamped from the minute she opened to when she sold out later in the evening.
Around seven Halliday and Joe came by and I joined them on a walk around Crossroads. Eventually Joe drifted on his own, and Halliday and I went to go see some of her fashion line, which was part of a photoshoot Sicon gallery was premiering. The art of Kansas City is very crafty. Metal sculptures, quilts, eccentric fashions, and assemblage art were popular. There was a fair amount of photography as well. I was told by one that Kansas City was weird, but really, I think I've seen lewder and wilder things in the galleries of Portland. I'm just not phased so easily. I guess T.B.A. does that to a person.
One difference between Portland's First Thursday and Kansas City's First Friday is the party atmosphere. I feel like Portland is saturated with art, and thus First Thursdays really aren't that big of deal. Yeah people come to look around, but not throngs of people. I know myself I've thought "oh, I'll be able to see that later when there aren't so many people around." Here, alot of venues open just for First Friday. Art isn't in every coffee shop, and most of the city doesn't encounter it on a day to day basis. The people that showed up to party, weren't just the "artistic" types. It seemed like the whole city came down. Beer flows freely and bands are playing out on the street.
We wandered for probably two or three hours before calling it quits. Halliday had to grab some shirts she'd made for a store and I was getting overwhelmed by the crowds. We parted ways and I went back to Hammerpress to grab my stuff. I was waylaid when I arrived and helped ring people up for a bit. The night started settling down and I bowed out for the evening.
Bobby invited me to a potluck tonight. I'm not sure what I'll bring. Maybe lemon squares. The Hammerpress crew will be there around 9 to ten, which is the perfect time for dessert, but then if I bring lemon squares, it will seem odd for me to bring them to work one day.... The 18th Street fashion show is also today, at sundown. Halliday has a dress that will be part of it, I'm excited to see it walk down the runway! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5464304 There is great promotion with having work in the show.
