Edited by Randi Bjornstad

The first day of the month and the first Friday coincide in September, so downtown Eugene’s First Friday ArtWalk gets underway at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 1 on Kesey Square — where Broadway meets Willamette Street — and where “Fiesta Cultural” will be going on all evening.

Marissa Zarate, executive director of Huerto de la Familia, whose earlier career included practicing immigration law and defending tenant rights, will host the official guided tour. She will meet her tourgoers at Kesey Square at 5:30 p.m.

The rest of the 30-minute stops on the official tour include the outdoor park blocks, Broadway Commerce Center, gilt+gossamer and Maven. The guided tour ends at 8 p.m.

For those who prefer to simply hang out, Kesey Square will be filled with activities from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., starting with a salsa dance lesson and moving onto rope tricks and mariachi music, a salsa dance part, free art activities for kids, printmaking, Latino art displays and lots of food.

It’s all sponsored by the city of Eugene’s Cultural Services program and EUGfun!.

Guided tour

The 5:30 p.m. stop in Kesey square will feature dance performances by Jose and Michelle Cruz from Salseros Dance Company, a fandango (jam session) preview, and Cuban salsa by Azúcar.

Next up at 6 p.m. in the park blocks at the corner of Eighth and Oak streets, there will be a celebration of music, dance and the culture of Veracruz, Mexico. Guest artists will be Omar Rojas and the Jaraneros musicians from the Northwest, playing the guitar-like instrument called the jaranas.

At 6:30 p.m. at the Broadway Commerce Center at 44 W. Broadway, a photography exhibit called “Una Mirada de México” features work by Fernando Soto, Mary Lule Chàvez, Maricela, Figueroa Zamilpa, Jessica Zapata, Guillermo Reza and Arturo Medel, as well as live music by guitarist Ricardo Càrdenas.

“Formal Greeting in Chinatown” is one of Christian Ives’ paintings on display at gilt+gossamer

Next is gilt+gossamer at 873 Willamette St. at 7 p.m., with a show of semi-abstract work by contemporary artist and Montana native Christian Ives, who also has studied in Italy and Wales, called “Love and Affinity.”

The last stop on the official tour is at 7:30 p.m. at Maven, at 271 W. Eighth Ave., with a show created by Girl Scout Jozie Donaghey to satisfy the requirements for the Gold Award, which is the equivalent of the Eagle Scout award in the male arena. Donaghey’s project focuses on body confidence in women, as portrayed and defined in television, magazines and advertising. There also will be music by Invisible Arts Project, a jazz trio.

More arts and culture

As always, many other galleries, shops, eateries and businesses will be open from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. for the First Friday ArtWalk, many of them also showing artwork by local artists:

• Cowfish (62 W. Broadway) — Work by Anne Jamrose.

• ECO Sleep Solutions and Gallery (25 E. Eighth Ave.) — Felted wool home decor and apparel by Tylar Merrill; clay tile collages by Annie Heron; hand-painted wood and linen pieces and hand-painted silk apparel by Lybi Thomas; stone carvings, wood sculptures and masks by Cedar Caredio; and Luminessence light sculptures by Stephen White.

• Eugene Public Library (100 W. 10th Ave.) — Plein air paintings of the Oregon Coast by Marco Elliott and at 6 p.m., a performance of “Shakespeare’s Word Jazz,” a celebration of The Bard’s wit by Fools Haven actors, vocalists, and musicians.

• Eugene Yoga (245 E. Broadway) Watercolors by Demetra Kalams, including Oregon landscapes, florals, and figures in a contemporary, impressionistic style.

Rachel McLain studies the beauty of the aging process in both plants and humans in her show at Framin’ Artworks

• Framin’ Artworks (505 High St.) — Rachel McLain’s photography explores transformations with age of all living things, from plants to people, using primarily natural light and a minimum of manipulation.

• Goldworks Jewelry Art Studio (169 E. Broadway) — Original jewelry by Goldworks staff.

• InEugene Real Estate (100 E. Broadway) — Work by M.V. Moran.

• Karin Clarke Gallery (760 Willamette St.) — “Rick Bartow (1946 – 2016): Selected Monoprints,” features 10 large, colorful monoprints Bartow created during residencies at the Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts in 2004, 2008, and 2013.

• The Lincoln Gallery (309 W. Fourth Ave.) — The Oregon Supported Living Center’s “Arts & Culture Program Showcase Exhibition” offers a colorful display of paintings, mosaics, comics, and jewelry, plus a show in the Community Room of digital art by Marcos Rockwell.

• Mosaic Fair Trade Collection (28 E. Broadway) — The shop is full of glass art, including hand blown glassware from Mexico, hand-painted glass night lights from Ecuador, and art glass dishes from Peru, along with tasting of fair-trade wines.

• The New Zone Gallery (220 W. Eighth Ave.) — “Plein air” and in-studio watercolors by Paul Bourgault are featured. The Klausmeier Room has a show of ceramic sculpture, pottery, and jewelry by Clay Space members, instructors, and students. Chip Cohen performs live violin and fiddle music.

   • Oregon Art Supply (1020 Pearl St.) — “The Going Away Party,” by local artist and author Rogene Mañas, is a tongue-in-cheek show of portraits of endangered species, sculpted in bas-relief using paper clay; open until 7:30 p.m.

• OUT ON A LIMB Gallery (191 E. Broadway) — Paintings by Shannon Carleen Knight, influenced by her studies in anatomy and her passion for dance, combine the human body, architecture, nature, and abstraction.

“Spiderweb” is an acrylic sculpture by Dan Chen, showing at Raven Frame Works

• Passionflower Design (128 E. Broadway) Learn more about the art of terrariums! The on-site florist demonstrates tips and techniques for making these enclosed natural habitats and there will be lots of opportunities for DIY terrariums.  Open until 7pm.

• Raven Frame Works (325 W 4th Ave) — Work by national award-winning nature artist and Eugene resident Dan Chen, showing some of his new works as well as some of his two- and three-dimensional classics.

• Red Wagon Creamery (55 W. Broadway) — Work by artists who participate in the Oregon Supported Living Program’s Arts & Culture open studio, classes and workshops includes acrylic painting, mixed-media and drawings.

• Townshend’s Teahouse (41 W. Broadway) — “Winged Dreams” is a mixed-media artwork show by Karen Rainsong and Mija Andrade, representing the dreams and visions of these two local artists.

Eugene artist Jerry Ross has a show of his paintings from The Netherlands at Vistra Framing & Gallery

• Vistra Framing & Gallery (411 W. Fourth Ave.) — Oil paintings by local artist Jerry Ross from his Holland sabbatical, including portraits, landscapes, still life, and figurative pieces, as well as acrylic landscapes and skyscapes by Patricia Carroll.

• White Lotus Gallery (767 Willamette St.) — Continuation of “Hamanishi’s Splendor: The Art of Mezzotint and Gold Leaf,” featuring work by premier Japanese printmaker Katsunori Hamanishi.

Additional special (free) events:

•#instaballet at Capitello Wines (540 Charnelton St.) —  Dancers from the Eugene Ballet Company make a new ballet from scratch, using ideas and comments from the audience to create a new work; starts at 5:30 p.m., and the resulting performance is at 8 p.m.

• 2017 Eugene Parklet Competition — Judging of the Parklets (extensions of sidewalks into parking lanes to increase pedestrian use and activity) in front of Townshend’s Teahouse, Broadway Metro and Davis Restaurant  & Bar. The competition is sponsored by the city of Eugene and the American Institute of Architects of Southwestern Oregon and drew 13 entries, of which four are in downtown Eugene.

• No Shame Eugene (99 W. 10th Ave.) — Doors open at 7:30 p.m. with live music, and the show starts at 8 p.m., featuring 15 original, five-minute acts such as monologues, sketch comedy, and the experimental. The show includes the first 15 acts to register with the host after the doors open. There’s no shame in performing, or just watching.

First Friday ArtWalk sponsor: Lane Arts Council, lanearts.org/