Here's Your Guide to February First Friday in Phoenix

February First Friday promises to be a night of firsts. Green Leaf Gallery and Bud’s on Grand are presenting their first exhibitions on Friday, February 1. And both Heard Museum and Phoenix Art Museum have new exhibitions on view.

Alas, it's also your last chance to hit Revolver Records in Roosevelt Row, which is having a First Friday bash before closing its shop in the arts district that's had plenty of growing pains in recent years.

Here’s a look at fresh art shows, organized by area to make getting around a bit easier, along with our short list of must-see exhibits. Here's a friendly reminder, too: Artwork makes a great Valentine's Day gift.

Must-See Exhibits

“The Winter Show”
See the first exhibition in the new Green Leaf Gallery curated by Bassim Al-Shaker. Featured artists include Colin Chillag, Bill Dambrova, Fausto Fernandez, and Abbey Messmer. First Friday hours at Green Leaf Arts District, 222 East McDowell Road, are 6 to 11 p.m. Get details on the Facebook event page.

New Work by Travis Ivey
The Studio art space at Found:RE Phoenix will be showing 20 or so works by Travis Ivey. The exhibit features diverse compositional styles created using various types of tape. Meet the artist between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on First Friday. Learn more on the Facebook event page.

“Josef Albers in Mexico”
Be one of the first people to see this exhibition organized by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. at the Heard Museum, where you can get free museum admission and explore Albers’ works inspired by midcentury Mexico travels. Get more information on the Heard Museum website.

“Organic Observance”
Explore mixed-media paintings and sculptures by Kim Walker, an artist whose work incorporates botanical materials such as leaves and petals, at the Herberger Theater Center Art Gallery. The First Friday reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. will include live music by John Calvert. First Friday Live, with a Chinese New Year theme, happens on the center's outdoor plaza from 6 to 9 p.m. Find details on the Herberger Theater Center website.

“Celestial Tapestry”
Sisao Gallery, located inside Oasis on Grand, is showing a new body of work by Joe Holdren. These works explore “the ethereal world where numerology and spiritual manifestations collide.” First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Learn more on the Facebook event page.

“Grand/Roosevelt Art Show”
Bud’s on Grand presents the first exhibition at its newest location, inside the historic Bragg’s Pie Factory building. The show features work by several artists well-known for murals around town, including Janel Garza, who painted a stunning mural for Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art last fall. First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Get details on the Bud's Glass Joint Facebook page.

Roosevelt Row

“Ojos de Oro”
Xico Arte y Cultura is showing prints and ceramics by Cristina Cardenas inside a shipping container gallery in Roosevelt Row. Cardenas’ work explores “Mexican immigration/migration and its effect on culture and families.” First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Find more information on the Facebook event page.

Art Invitational 2019
See works created with diverse styles and media at First Studio, where First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Featured artists include Bob Booker, Becky Frehse, Angie Fletchall, Jane Kelsey-Mapel, Christine Thieme Ray, Joe Ray, and Rachel Srinivasan. Learn more on the Facebook event page.

“Realism Road”
Olney Gallery at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral is exhibiting oil and acrylic paintings by Ashwini Bharathula and Julie Frye. First Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Students at Arizona School for the Arts will be performing inside the Cathedral between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Get more information on the Facebook event page.

Layla Luna
The Mantle at MADE, a small exhibition space inside MADE Art Boutique, is showing works by Layla Luna. First Friday hours are 7 to 10 p.m., and you can pop next door while you’re there to see Gina DeGideo’s photography exhibit at Eye Lounge. Find details on the MADE Art Boutique Facebook page.

Grand Avenue

“Life’s a Glitch”
See works by digital artist Nigel Clouse at {9} The Gallery, where First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Clouse conceives glitches as “errors within reality where chance, chaos, and aesthetic combine to form art.” First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Get details on the Facebook event page.

“Knitted Together: My America”
Five15 Arts collective member Anne Howey-Falvey tackles “protest, social injustice, and gender inequality” through photography, large-scale drawings, and interactive installation work at Chartreuse gallery. First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Learn more on the Facebook event page.

“Letras y Ranflas”
Head to Grand ArtHaus for an exhibition of artwork by Angel Diaz and Javier Spawk Cordova, who will also be live painting on models. Expect DJ stylings as well, during First Friday hours from 8 p.m. to midnight. Find more information on the Grand ArtHaus Facebook page.

“The Vaginal & the Opposite”
Abe Zucca is showing new works exploring concave and convex forms at Abe Zucca Gallery, located inside Bragg’s Pie Factory. First Friday hours are 7 to 10 p.m. Learn more on the Facebook event page.

“For the Love of Animals”
Explore works by several artists inspired by animals during a group exhibit at Unexpected. First Friday hours are 6 to 11 p.m. Get details on the Facebook event page.

“FF020119”
Belhaus, located inside Bragg’s Pie Factory, is showing new works by Will Beger, Gino Belassen, Sherri Belassen, Ralph Lazar, and Austin Sanchez. First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Learn more on the Belhaus Facebook page.

Central Avenue

“Superterrestrial”
Explore porcelain sculptures by Annette Janelle at Practical Art, where the First Friday artist reception runs from 7 to 9 p.m. Works featured in this exhibit were inspired by unusual ecosystems and imagining possible forms beyond the human realm. Get details on the Facebook event page.

"Caught Between Two Worlds"
Central Gallery at Burton Barr Central Library is showing photographs by Elizabeth Pineda, who uses double exposure images of people and landscapes to explore immigration. The First Friday artist reception runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Find more information on the Phoenix Public Library website.

“Kinesis”
You’ll find photographic works by Joanna Proffitt at New City Studio, which is located inside New City Church. First Friday hours are 7 to 10 p.m. Learn more on the Facebook event page.

Other Areas

Maria Callas Series
Fine art photographer Marilyn Szabo is showing her black-and-white portraits of opera singer Maria Callas in this exhibition at Gallery 119, located at 119 South 11th Street. First Friday hours, which include music performance by violinist Telian Dodge, run from 4 to 9 p.m. Get details on the Facebook event page.

Sticker Drop 2
Sundown Gallery & Studios, located at 921 East Roosevelt Street, is doing a sticker exchange featuring well over 100 artist designs. Several artists will also be exhibiting their work during First Friday hours from 7 to 10 p.m. The exchange was organized by James B. Hunt (who goes by NXOEED). Find more information on the Facebook even page. 

Photography Exhibit
Head to Parkwood Photography Studio, located at 2212 East McDowell Road, to see work by more than a dozen artists, including Erin Garcia, Katelin Mason, Scott Myers, and Robert Rinsem. First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Learn more on the Facebook event page.

Art + Performance

Phoenix Art Museum has admission by voluntary donation during First Friday hours from 6 to 10 p.m. Look for performances by Geibral Elisha Movement, as well as ASU School of Dance. Get a ticket online in advance if you want to attend The Whole Story: Part VIII at 7:30 p.m., or see the “Wondrous Worlds: Art & Islam Through Time & Place" exhibit organized by the Newark Museum in New Jersey. Find more information on the Phoenix Art Museum website.