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firstfridaysantacruz

Explore the Santa Cruz County art scene every month on the First Friday Art Tour!
Next ➡️ MAY 1 ✨
❤️+🧠 Heart & Mind Exhibition - April 2026

Beth Shields | @bethshields7903 Beth Shields is a

Beth Shields | @bethshields7903

Beth Shields is a Santa Cruz–based artist with a lifelong connection to making art, beginning at an early age and later earning a fine art degree from UCLA. She has been part of the Santa Cruz art community for over three decades.

Her work is rooted in the relationship between heart and mind, where intuition and emotion meet experience and technique. For Shields, the creative process is a balance between immediate feeling and years of artistic practice, creating a dynamic exchange that shapes each piece.

Experience Beth’s work at Heart & Mind
📍1407 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Heart & Mind Exhibition Hours:
Gallery Open:
FRIDAY 2–8pm
SATURDAY 12–8pm
SUNDAY 12–5pm

✨ Ripple Arts Festival Special Event: April 18 | @rippleartsfestsantacruz
✨ Closing Reception | April 26 | 2–5pm

–

Curated & Directed by Bree Karpavage @bree.karpavage & Danny Fernandez @dannyfernandezart for First Friday Santa Cruz.

Made possible with support from the City of Santa Cruz @choosesantacruz

Interested in becoming a First Friday artist?
Join our Artist Registry, tap the 🔗 link in our bio.

Beth Purcell | @bethpurcellmosaics Beth Purcell i

Beth Purcell | @bethpurcellmosaics

Beth Purcell is a self-taught mosaic artist with over 25 years of experience, creating work from hand-cut pieces of ceramic tile, antique china, and found materials. Her process begins with collecting, gathering, and repurposing discarded objects, transforming them into intricate, meaningful compositions.

Drawing inspiration from folk art, textiles, travel, and dreams, her work often centers around themes of healing, protection, and devotion. Through symbols like sacred hearts and milagros, she creates pieces that invite reflection, peace, and connection.

Experience Beth’s work at Heart & Mind
📍1407 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Heart & Mind Exhibition Hours:
Gallery Open:
FRIDAY 2–8pm
SATURDAY 12–8pm
SUNDAY 12–5pm

✨ Ripple Arts Festival Special Event: April 18 | @rippleartsfestsantacruz
✨ Closing Reception | April 26 | 2–5pm

–

Curated & Directed by Bree Karpavage @bree.karpavage & Danny Fernandez @dannyfernandezart for First Friday Santa Cruz.

Made possible with support from the City of Santa Cruz @choosesantacruz

Interested in becoming a First Friday artist?
Join our Artist Registry, tap the 🔗 link in our bio.

Join us on Saturday, April 18th for the @rippleart

Join us on Saturday, April 18th for the @rippleartsfestsantacruz special Heart & Mind event presented by @firstfridaysantacruz !!
🧠❤️🧠❤️🧠

Heart & Mind is a month long exhibition featuring creative visual expression that represents the conversations between the heart and the mind. You can find this exhibition
📍 @downtownsantacruz at 1407 pacific Ave (the former palace arts space)

The exhibition is running all through April - Friday and Saturday from 12-8pm , Sunday 12-5pm.

—
📸 @shawnhatjes

Last First Friday, @artisthedeeperyou featured the

Last First Friday, @artisthedeeperyou featured their abstract portraits - a series of portraits exploring the emotional states through layered composition, color and expressive line work. This show was featured at the @hotelparadox !!

Did you get a chance to see it?
🪩✨

Interested in hosting an event with First Friday? Tap the 🔗 in our bio to learn more.

Anna Bagozzi | @annabagozzi_art Anna Bagozzi is a

Arthur Waidhofer | @arthur.j.w Arthur Waidhofer i

Arthur Waidhofer | @arthur.j.w

Arthur Waidhofer is a Santa Cruz–based painter working primarily in oil. While his broader practice includes landscapes and observational work, his recent paintings focus on the internal landscape, exploring the connection between different parts of the self.

His figure paintings are intuitive and personal, shaped by emotional experience rather than literal narrative. Through gesture, color, and form, he explores tension, release, and moments of reconnection, using the body to express what is often difficult to name.

Experience Arthur’s work at Heart & Mind
📍1407 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Heart & Mind Exhibition Hours:
Gallery Open:
FRIDAY 2–8pm
SATURDAY 12–8pm
SUNDAY 12–5pm

✨ Ripple Arts Festival Special Event: April 18 | @rippleartsfestsantacruz
✨ Closing Reception | April 26 | 2–5pm

–

Curated & Directed by Bree Karpavage @bree.karpavage & Danny Fernandez @dannyfernandezart for First Friday Santa Cruz.

Made possible with support from the City of Santa Cruz @choosesantacruz

Interested in becoming a First Friday artist?
Join our Artist Registry, tap the 🔗 link in our bio.

Amanda Prairiewind Hess is a Santa Cruz–based mult

Amanda Prairiewind Hess is a Santa Cruz–based multidisciplinary artist with over 20 years of experience. Her early work focused on large-scale acrylic painting, while the past decade has been dedicated to metalsmithing.

Her paintings are intuitive and process-driven, blending surreal and figurative elements with non-objective forms. She approaches mark-making as both a creative and meditative practice, allowing compositions to emerge organically rather than from a fixed plan. Human forms, often female, appear throughout her work as points of connection and familiarity, while linework is used to link and define space.

At the core of her practice is a desire to create a sense of connection and wholeness, both within herself and for those who engage with her work.
–
Experience Amandas work at Heart & Mind

📍1407 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Heart & Mind Exhibition Hours:
Gallery Open:
FRIDAY 2–8pm
SATURDAY 12–8pm
SUNDAY 12–5pm

✨ Ripple Arts Festival Special Event: April 18 | @rippleartsfestsantacruz
✨ Closing Reception | April 26 | 2–5pm

–

Curated & Directed by Bree Karpavage @bree.karpavage & Danny Fernandez @dannyfernandezart for First Friday Santa Cruz.

Made possible with support from the City of Santa Cruz @choosesantacruz

Interested in becoming a First Friday artist?
Join our Artist Registry, tap the 🔗 link in our bio.

Brianna Hart | @briannah.art Brianna Hart is a Ca

Brianna Hart | @briannah.art

Brianna Hart is a California-based mixed-media collage artist whose work explores resilience, identity, and transformation. Self-taught and deeply connected to her personal journey, her practice emerged through years of navigating serious illness, using art as both refuge and reconstruction.

Working with cut paper sourced from luxury magazines, Hart builds layered compositions that reflect the complexity of the human experience. What began as a resourceful solution became her signature process, creating richly textured works that speak to survival, duality, and the beauty of rebuilding.

Experience Brianna’s work at Heart & Mind
📍1407 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Heart & Mind Exhibition Hours:
Gallery Open:
FRIDAY 2–8pm
SATURDAY 12–8pm
SUNDAY 12–5pm

✨ Ripple Arts Festival Special Event: April 18 | @rippleartsfestsantacruz
✨ Closing Reception | April 26 | 2–5pm

–

Curated & Directed by Bree Karpavage @bree.karpavage & Danny Fernandez @dannyfernandezart for First Friday Santa Cruz.

Made possible with support from the City of Santa Cruz @choosesantacruz

Interested in becoming a First Friday artist?
Join our Artist Registry, tap the 🔗 link in our bio.

Alexis Macnab | @aninfinitecoast Alexis Macnab, w

Alexis Macnab | @aninfinitecoast

Alexis Macnab, working under the name An Infinite Coast, is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, and printmaker whose work explores transformation and the interconnected relationships between human, botanical, animal, and mythic forms. Working in ink, watercolor, acrylic, and pencil, their pieces are highly detailed and layered, blending narrative imagery with tactile surface.
With a background in performance and an MFA from CalArts, Macnab spent over twenty years creating theater as an actor, director, and puppeteer. Their current practice shifts toward visual storytelling, building immersive worlds shaped by mythology, memory, and observation.

Experience Alexis Macnab’s work at Heart & Mind
📍1407 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Heart & Mind Exhibition Hours:
Gallery Open:
FRIDAY 2–8pm
SATURDAY 12–8pm
SUNDAY 12–5pm

✨ Ripple Arts Festival Special Event: April 18 | @rippleartsfestsantacruz
✨ Closing Reception | April 26 | 2–5pm

–

Curated & Directed by Bree Karpavage @bree.karpavage & Danny Fernandez @dannyfernandezart for First Friday Santa Cruz.

Made possible with support from the City of Santa Cruz @choosesantacruz

Interested in becoming a First Friday artist?
Join our Artist Registry, tap the 🔗 link in our bio.

Alex Harman | @lxharman Alex Harman is a figurati

Alex Harman | @lxharman

Alex Harman is a figurative artist whose recent work explores painting on the inner surface of eucalyptus bark, using the natural texture of the material as both medium and subject. His work reflects a sensitivity to the human form, drawing from the quiet, organic qualities found in nature.

With a background in biological illustration and formal training in figure study, Harman brings a strong observational foundation to his practice. Working across charcoal, watercolor, oils, and photography, his work balances technical precision with a deep curiosity for natural form.

Experience Alex Harman’s work at Heart & Mind
📍1407 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Heart & Mind Exhibition Hours:
Gallery Open:
FRIDAY 2–8pm
SATURDAY 12–8pm
SUNDAY 12–5pm

✨ Ripple Arts Festival Special Event: April 18 | @rippleartsfestsantacruz
✨ Closing Reception | April 26 | 2–5pm

–

Curated & Directed by Bree Karpavage @bree.karpavage & Danny Fernandez @dannyfernandezart for First Friday Santa Cruz.

Made possible with support from the City of Santa Cruz @choosesantacruz

Interested in becoming a First Friday artist?
Join our Artist Registry, tap the 🔗 link in our bio.

♥️🧠 Heart & Mind Artist Spotlight ♥️🧠 Travis Adams

♥️🧠 Heart & Mind Artist Spotlight ♥️🧠
Travis Adams | @clayingmantis

✨Travis Adams has been working in clay since 2002, developing a practice rooted in both craftsmanship and community. After earning his BFA in ceramics from SFSU, he returned to Santa Cruz to teach and build spaces for others to explore clay. His work continues to evolve alongside his role in shaping the local ceramics scene.

Experience Travis Adams’ work at Heart & Mind in collaboration with @forest_creeper and solo!

Exhibition Hours through April:
Fridays | 2–8pm
Saturdays | 12–8pm
Sundays | 12–5pm

Ripple Effect Festival | April 18
Closing Reception | April 26 | 2–5pm

Curated & Directed by Bree Karpavage @bree.karpavage & Danny Fernandez @dannyfernandezart for First Friday Santa Cruz. Made possible with support from the City of Santa Cruz. @choosesantacruz

–

Are you an artist interested in getting involved in First Friday events? Join our Artist Registry at the link in bio or visit: firstfridaysantacruz.com/participate/join-artists-registery/

#FirstFridaySantaCruz #HeartAndMind

♥️🧠 Heart & Mind Artist Spotlight ♥️🧠 Kyle Bradsha

♥️🧠 Heart & Mind Artist Spotlight ♥️🧠
Kyle Bradshaw | @cryle_sadshaw - @ovatumart

✨Kyle Bradshaw creates abstract work inspired by the energy and atmosphere of the redwood forests he calls home. Through drawing, he translates the movement, stillness, and presence of the natural world into expressive, metaphorical forms.

Experience Kyle Bradshaw’s work at Heart & Mind
📍 Opening Reception: April 3 | 5–9pm

Exhibition Hours:
Fridays | 2–8pm
Saturdays | 12–8pm
Sundays | 12–5pm

Ripple Effect Festival | April 18
Closing Reception | April 26 | 2–5pm

–
Are you an artist interested in getting involved in First Friday events? Join our Artist Registry at the link in bio or visit: firstfridaysantacruz.com/participate/join-artists-registery/
Curated & Directed by Bree Karpavage @bree.karpavage & Danny Fernandez @dannyfernandezart for First Friday Santa Cruz.
Made possible with support from the City of Santa Cruz. @choosesantacruz

#FirstFridaySantaCruz #HeartAndMind

It felt like the entirety of Santa Cruz came out f

It felt like the entirety of Santa Cruz came out for the Heart & Mind First Friday Opening last night! ❤️🧠

We LOVED seeing you all there. We have a lot more in store for the whole month of April - if you missed your chance to come see the exhibit yesterday, don’t worry!

📍Exhibition Location: 1407 Pacific Ave, Downtown Santa Cruz (former Palace Arts)

Gallery Open:
FRIDAY 2-8pm
SATURDAY: 12-8pm
SUNDAY: 12-5pm

✨Ripple Arts Festival Special Event: April 18

HUGE thank you to all the artists who made this show possible. Without you, this wouldn’t be what it became. ✨

Curated & Directed by Bree Karpavage & Danny Fernandez for First Friday Santa Cruz. @dannyfernandezart & @bree.karpavage

Made possible with support from the City of Santa Cruz. @choosesantacruz

—
🎥🎞️ @wendyspresso

It's First Friday! These events are happening acro

It's First Friday! These events are happening across the county.

🌿 @treehousedispensary_sc | Treehouse Dispensary
April First Friday featuring Nobody Loves Me by Sean Mohoot alongside rotating works throughout the space

🌊 @santacruzmuseum | Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
The Art of Nature, an exhibition exploring plant life, ecology, and the natural world through art

🦋 @claratyarts | Claraty Arts
Wild Thing! curated by Chandra Riggs, presenting creatures both real and imagined through diverse artistic interpretations

📍SC Mountains

🌲 @scmountainsartcenter | Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center
Spring Into Art, the 27th Annual Youth Art Exhibit featuring student work across a range of mediums

🌿 @homebyzinnias | Home by Zinnias
Susan Taylor Brown Fiber Art Exploration, textile works focusing on texture, pattern, and layered composition

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Tap the link in our bio to see all the listings for First Friday, April 3rd! 🔗

First Friday at the @tanneryartscenter is always a

First Friday at the @tanneryartscenter is always a great time!
These studios and arts spaces are hosting events April 3rd. See you there 👋

🎨 @radiusgallery | Radius Gallery
Art & Change – A group exhibition bringing together Northern California artists exploring themes connected to the climate crisis through diverse materials and approaches

🖨 @santa_cruz_korean_art__ | Santa Cruz Korean Center / Art Gallery
Korean Calligraphy Performance – A live presentation by EunKyung showcasing the traditional practice of Seoye through gesture, form, and written expression

🖌 @pattpress | Printmakers
April Group Exhibition – Featuring PATT member artists working across a range of printmaking techniques and styles

🖼 @gallery125tannery | Gallery 125
Group Exhibition – Works by Linda Fillhardt, Joan Hellenthal, Lynne Todaro, Melissa West, and Beth Shields across painting, sculpture, and mixed media

@riverstudio116 | River Studio
The Many Faces of the San Lorenzo River – A community exhibition reflecting on the river through diverse artistic perspectives

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Tap the link in our bio to see all the listings for First Friday, April 3rd! 🔗

Happening on First Friday ✨ April 3rd ✨ 📍Westside

Happening on First Friday ✨ April 3rd ✨ 📍Westside Santa Cruz

🍷 @bigbasinvineyards | Bottle Jack Winery & Silver Mountain Vineyards Tasting Room
Vino Artes featuring Laurie Gabriel, showcasing photography and alternative process image-making

🎨 @ucscias | Institute of Arts and Sciences, UCSC
Weather and the Whale book launch highlighting interdisciplinary work connecting art and ocean research

💇‍♀️ @theloftsalonandspa | The Loft Salon & Spa
Photography by Brett Wiltshire capturing detailed and immersive perspectives

🖼 @rblitzergallery | R. Blitzer Gallery
Color Stories 2026, a juried exhibition featuring 54 digital artists and photographers from CODA

🕹 @visualendeavors | Visual Endeavors
Open studios with interactive installations including a virtual air hockey experience

💡 | GeoPulse @ the Wrigley Building
Wrigley Innovation Showcase featuring local startups, demos, and emerging technology

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Tap the link in our bio to see all the listings for First Friday, April 3rd! 🔗