Final Friday and Art in Action

I had heard about Final Friday, an art walk through numerous galleries occurring each month in downtown Cincinnati, from a sister, and then I was reminded of it again by a new acquaintance. And suddenly it was the final Friday of the month of August, so off we drove last Friday at 5:30, to catch the beginning of the event at 6:00.

Gladys, our GPS lady, sent us south on I-75, my least favorite method of getting into the city, and either she or we made a mistake, because we got close but weren't actually at the Pendleton Art Center in OTR, the "Over-the-Rhine" area that has changed from a dangerous neighborhood to become "the" new chic entertainment area in town. We parked the car and walked, and fortunately a young woman wheeling a baby stroller found us and directed us across the street and in the opposite direction to which we had been wandering.

When we got there, we found an old building--it had been the headquarters of U.S. Shoe Corporation, which itself has a fascinating history--in various stages of renovation, but with eight floors of artists' studios and galleries. What a feast for the eyes! and for the ears, with music, and also refreshments. We took the elevator to the eighth floor and figured we could walk through each studio and then descend, floor by floor, using the stairs.

I only made it through three floors Friday night before becoming saturated, so we left well before the 10:00 closing, and just in time to escape the worst of an evening rain. But Final Friday is only the start of the weekend events: Art in Action is held in the same place(s) on the Saturday following, from 11:00 to 3:00, so there we were again on Saturday afternoon. This time we knew the way to Pendleton Street and where to park, and while not as many galleries were open for demos and lessons as the night before, there were enough to make the trip worthwhile. And starting on the fifth floor, we still have not made it down to two and three.

The directory of artists and the website claim that this is the largest collection of artists under one roof in the world, and I see no reason to dispute the claim. Some artists work in the Pendleton studios while others only exhibit and sell there on the once-monthly weekend--many of the artists still support themselves with a "day job." It's a pity that there is only one weekend each month for this extravaganza, but it's a sure thing that we will be there at the end of September and many times more.

A very active Facebook page shows some of the happenings at each Final Friday.