Thursday, November 07, 2002, 12:00 a.m. Pacific

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First Thursday: When gallery hoppers take to the streets

By Patti Jones
Seattle Times staff reporter

It's 6:15 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3, and downtown's Occidental Square is filling fast with office workers, craftspeople, street actors and art-gallery hoppers.

They're here for the First Thursday art walk, an event that happens — surprise! — every first Thursday evening of the month, including tonight. That's when galleries welcome the public with open doors, staying unlocked until 8 p.m. and providing Seattle with a good excuse to party. The monthly event has been going on for 18 years now, but seems to have lost none of its steam.

"Coming to First Thursday is fun," says Greg Nespor of Vashon. "It's kind of like Mardi Gras."

"Like Mardi Gras," agrees his friend Dave Bingham. "Only everyone has all their clothes on."

Art walkers typically begin their evening in the red-brick square, where the entertainment can range from fire-eaters to martial artists. At this moment a cast of about 25 is performing "Ode to Icarus," a three-hour extravaganza that began at the Last Supper Club at 124 S. Washington before moving to the square.

Cellists drone. Wood nymphs dance on pointed toes. Icarus, who has of course died from flying too close to the sun, gets resurrected. And on this outdoor stage, he's an exception to Bingham's everyone-has-all-their-clothes-on rule. Aside from gold jewelry and feathers jutting out of each of his fingertips, he wears only a gold skirt.

"See that," says Wendy Boye of Capitol Hill, pointing to the gold-skirted one. "That's why I come (to First Thursday) in a nutshell. I just like the creativity."

A social gathering

For many, the square area is a spot to meet up with pals before popping into galleries and heading off to dinner. For others it's a place to form new friendships. "Mingling is going on all over the place," says Boye. "You can definitely meet people here, if you have the nerve."

According to gallery owner Greg Kucera, First Thursday is also a favorite spot for first and blind dates. "We'll frequently get people wandering into the gallery asking things like, 'Have you seen anyone wearing a red gardenia?' "

On the square, hawkers share space with the performers — selling day-glow rings, leather billfolds, charcoal nudes, you name it. One vendor pushes pinwheels she fashions out of pop cans. Another: ashtrays decorated with pop-art silk-screens of, oddly enough, smokers. Still another: small acrylic paintings of the American flag, a single tulip or a bunch of bananas.

"The prices out here aren't too expensive for teenagers like me," says Brittany Stallings, who is sitting at an outdoor table of the Torrefazione Italia coffee shop with her mother, Jennifer. "I bought a painting for $10. That's the average price I'll pay."

In the galleries, of course, the paintings tend to be more mature and compelling but also pricier — with costs sometimes climbing into five figures. Singles and couples meander through the rooms like sleepwalkers, wandering into each others' space but never connecting.

"Everyone is engulfed in what they see," says Jo-Anne Wilson of Capitol Hill. "I was just at the William Traver Gallery, and it was a life experience. I was so attracted to the colors." (Among Eva Vlasakova's fantasy figures at William Traver was "Strange Calmness," a human-snail creature cast in gray glass that turned cobalt-blue when under light, and "Nocturnal Awareness," a human-bat cast in vibrant, lime green.)

It's come a long way

First Thursday began in 1984, when a handful of gallery directors decided to coordinate their monthly show openings and co-produce a gallery guide. The guide, which began on newsprint, has morphed into a 16-page glossy going out each month to 2,200 people. It draws a monthly crowd that shrinks and grows, depending on the weather and what's happening at nearby stadiums.

"(First Thursday's) great benefit to us is that none of us has a lonely opening, particularly when we have an artist who's from out of state and has no friends and family in the area," says Kucera, whose gallery is at 212 Third Ave. S. "It also helps collectors keep track of when we're setting up and when they should come down to look at the art, usually the Tuesday or Wednesday before the opening."

In the beginning, the galleries served wine and alcohol. "That ended about 15 years ago, because it violated state liquor laws," Kucera says. "And I don't regret it. This way it's more safe and sane. You don't have people buying things and then coming back the next morning to say the gin and tonic made them do it."

These days, the closest anyone gets to refreshments is a cup of Tully's offered up at the Glasshouse gallery at 311 Occidental Ave. S. It comes with a front-row view of glass-making in the gallery's back studio. Theresa Neinas, who's wearing blue glasses and a plaid coat, is there now with a couple of her pals. "I could come look at art any time but I like to come on this night because you get to meet the artists," she says. "And if you see work you like, you can ask, 'Do you have anything like that in your studio only in blue?' "

(Such a query wouldn't go over so big in many galleries, but at the Glasshouse, where the items for sale include glass vases and cartoonlike fish, it's not so gauche to want a piece that matches your couch.)

The 'after hours' crowd

As the evening wears on, crowds pick up, making it harder to contemplate the work and turning the galleries into major schmooze-a-thons.

At this time, some souls head off to nearby artists' studios and alternative spaces.

"The artists there are a younger, undiscovered crowd and the (viewers) are younger too," says hawker Matthew Parker, who passes on studio addresses to his customers. "They're hipsters, mod kids, people into the music scene."

Up 62 stairs in a live/work space on Third Avenue, a tattoo and nose-ring crowd sips beer and checks out the art as David Byrne sings "Psycho Killer" on the CD player. The walls are yellow. The floors are gray. The show, which hangs for just one night on First Thursday, features three artists whose work ranges from whimsical to ironic.

One piece, Paul Davies' "Help the President Decide," shows a smiling President Bush alongside two lights: one labeled "war," the other "peace." Viewers are invited to push a button and cast their vote for war or peace, but no matter how they vote, the war light goes on.

"The show is casual and fun, not serious," says Stacey Holland, a chiseled-face artist whose paintings of smiling moons hang on one wall.

At 8 p.m., the studios and alternative spaces still welcome visitors. But around Occidental Square, the galleries close, the outdoor vendors pack up, and the art walkers move on. Their destination: any number of spots, including LuLu's at 421 Second Ave. Extension S., Zeitgeist at 161 S. Jackson, and Elliott Bay Book Co. at 101 S. Main ("I've heard Elliott Bay is cruisy," says Boye).

At the information booth on the north end of the square, Alma Kazic continues to field walkers' queries. The two most-often-asked each First Thursday: "Where can I get a beer?" (Kazic's answer: Try Old Timer's Cafe at 620 First Ave. or Merchant's Cafe at 109 Yesler Way) and "Do you need a permit to display your crafts in the square?" (no).

At this time of night, however, there's also a third:

"Where can I catch a bus home?"

IF YOU GO

Every first Thursday of the month, galleries downtown and in Pioneer Square hang new art and keep doors open until 8 p.m. Seattle Art Museum also extends its hours and waives its admission price on that day. An information booth is located on South Main Street between First and Second Avenues.

Finding it: Occidental Square lies between First and Second Avenues South. It's flanked by South Main to the north and South Jackson Street to the south. From Interstate 5, take the James Street exit and follow James to Yesler Way. Occidental Square is two blocks to the left.

Parking: Pay lots are all around. There's even one just across from Occidental Square on South Main. But the best parking is under the Alaskan Way Viaduct. If you come before 6 p.m., you'll likely get a spot. If you wait until after 6 p.m., when all the meters become no-pay, you may be out of luck. A better option: Ride the bus.

Buses: From Ballard, Magnolia and lower Queen Anne, catch a Route 15 or Route 18 bus to First Avenue South and South Jackson. From West Seattle, take a Route 21 or a Route 56 to First and Jackson. From Capitol Hill, take a Route 7 or Route 14 to Third and Main. From the University District, take a 71, 72 or 73 to Third and Washington. From the north via Aurora, take Route 358 to Fourth and Washington. From the Eastside: Route 550 to Fourth and Jackson. For more information, call Metro at 206-553-3000 or see transit.metrokc.gov.

Another map: The Seattle Gallery Exhibitions guide features a walking map on its back page and can be picked up in many galleries. Listings of upcoming shows at the major and alternative galleries can also be found in The Seattle Times on the Friday before First Thursday, as well as in other newspapers.

Other walks: First Thursday may be the city's biggest culture creep, but it's not the only one. Some others:

• Ballard Art Walk, 7-9 p.m., every second Saturday (including this Saturday): 206-789-1490.

• Capitol Hill's Arts Orbit, noon-on, every first Saturday (this month's event is past): 206-726-9509.

• Kirkland's Art Walk, 6-9 p.m., every second Thursday (this month, that's Nov. 14): www.kirkland.net/galleries.htm.

Possible art-walk game plan

Pop into Esther Claypool Gallery at 617 Western Ave., then head over to Linda Hodges Gallery at 316 First. Ave. S., Foster/White Gallery at 123 S. Jackson, Davidson Galleries at 313 Occidental Ave. S., Grover/ Thurston Gallery at 309 Occidental Ave. S., Carolyn Staley Fine Japanese Prints at 314 Occidental Ave. S., Bryan Ohno Gallery at 155 S. Main, James Harris Gallery at 309A Third Ave. S. and Greg Kucera Gallery at 212 Third Ave. S.

An alternate route

Lisa Harris Gallery at 1922 Pike Place, William Traver Gallery at 110 Union, Seattle Art Museum at 100 University St. and Friesen Gallery at 1210 Second Ave.

Patti Jones: 206-464-2246 or pjones@seattletimes.com.