First Friday Santa Cruz

Events

Events

Our NEW location: Nicely gallery, decor and design is celebrating 2 years!

Nicely: Gallery, Decor and Design 1349 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, CA, United States

We moved Nicely: 1349 Pacific Ave. Nicely, gallery, decor and design will be celebrating our 2 year anniversary , First Friday May 2nd! Join us and celebrate! Michelle Nicely will have her studio in the space along with all the other fine art and antiques we always have and more; double the space. We also […]

Live Oak Jack Rabbit Student Art Reception

Palace Art & Office Supply 1501-K 41st Ave, Capitola, CA

The 4th Annual Live Oak Jack Rabbit art, athletic, music, and food festival will take place on 4/26 at Shoreline Middle School! Event participants and the LOJR panel of judges will select 12 student artists for recognition from Del Mar Elementary, Green Acres Elementary, Live Oak Elementary, Shoreline Middle School, Tierra Pacifica, and Ocean Alternative […]

Kuumbwa Jazz: Celebrating Creativity – 50th Anniversary Exhibit Premiere & Conversation

Kuumbwa Jazz 320-2 Cedar Street, Santa Cruz, California

Join us for this special First Friday event commemorating Kuumbwa Jazz’s 50th anniversary. Enjoy the premiere of Celebrating Creativity, an exhibit spanning 50 years of Kuumbwa archives, including posters, photos, and historical ephemera. At 6 PM there will be a conversation with Kuumbwa co-founder Tim Jackson and Bay Area vocalist Kim Nalley, exploring Kuumbwa’s history […]

Katell Le Bourdonnec at Stripe

Stripe the Store 107 Walnut Ave, Santa Cruz, CA

Stripe is thrilled to rejoin the First Friday art tour! We are kicking things off with a show featuring the vibrant, intricate collages of Katell Le Bourdonnec, and a pop-up with Anne Vantalon, who will be bringing her gorgeous paper flowers. Katell Le Bourdonnec is a French artist based in Santa Cruz, California. "I strongly […]

First Friday at the Santa Cruz Hostel: Art, Music & History Come Alive!

Santa Cruz Hostel 321 Main Street, Santa Cruz, CA

Join us on Thursday, May 2nd for a magical evening at the historic Santa Cruz Hostel, nestled in the charming Carmelita Cottages. We're celebrating First Friday with an inspiring mix of art, live music, and local culture—and you’re invited! Featured Artist: Explore the bold and evocative sculptures of Jeff Arnett, a local poet and sculptor […]

First Friday with Bridget Mary Henry: Friend or Foe

Tumbleweed Found 1025 Center Street, Santa Cruz, CA, United States

Bridget Henry is a California based printmaker known for her hand carved woodcuts. Her work often explores the intersections of nature, perception, and transformation. Drawing from both ecological themes and personal experience, she uses traditional printmaking techniques to explore questions about how we define and relate to the world around us. Friend or Foe is […]

Big Basin Vineyards Tasting Room & Wine Bar: Donna Maurillo Photography | Visions from My Third Eye

Big Basin Vineyards Tasting Room and Wine Bar 525 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA, United States

Donna Maurillo Photography | Visions from My Third Eye Visual art is music for our eyes. It can make us feel empathy, wonder, happiness, love, sadness, and all the other emotions available to humans. And like music, it has color, tone, movement, mood, and much more. When I view the world through my camera, I […]

Unveiling the Space Cowboy

Michael Leeds Studio 738 Chestnut Street, Santa Crux, ca

Michael Leeds hosts a Spring Open House! He will unveil his newest creation, the "Space Cowboy." It is an interplanetary, interdimensional object with a time-travel option from the factory. Hold on to your hats, this baby runs! This is a rare and special occasion - not to miss!

Lotus Radiance: Dreamscapes by Elizabeth Lee

Om Gallery 1201 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, CA

Featured artist, Elizabeth Lee is a Hapa abstract painter working primarily in acrylics. Elizabeth often blends imagery from her Chinese heritage with more contemporary styles and themes. She loves abstraction because it uses the energy of color to create a visceral experience for the viewer. Her approach can be considered shamanistic with the living work […]

The Underground Network:Magic of Mycelium

Felix Kulpa Gallery & Sculpture Garden 107 Elm St, Santa Cruz, CA, United States

The Underground Network:Magic of Mycelium May 2-June 28,2025 Receptions for the artists: May2 and June 6 from 5 to 8pm Gallery Hours: Thurs-Sun 11 to 6pm Free and open to the public

Minnow Arts Presents: Rope, Rubber, and Rudders

Minnow Arts 204 Locust Street, Santa Cruz, CA, United States

In a society obsessed with shiny newness, there are those who are instead drawn to crusty found objects reclaimed from the dark underbelly of our throw-away culture. Sometimes these things just need a little dusting off or rearranging, and Mark Cunningham, Jonathan Steinberg, and Ethan Estess are the folks for the job. Unfortunately, global plastic […]

First Friday at Artisans & agency with Carissa Rose

Artisans & agency 1368 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, CA, United States

We’re celebrating the beauty of nature through the eyes of Carissa Rose, our former store manager and dear friend! While she won’t be there in person, her stunning giclée prints and cards—all created from flowers and plants grown in her Pacific Northwest garden—will be on display and available for purchase. Join us on Friday, May […]

Here to Eternity – A Celebration of Queer Creativity and Expression and we welcome students from Fashion Teen Santa Cruz!

M.K. Contemporary Art 703 Front Street, SANTA CRUZ, CA, United States

First Friday of May at MK Contemporary Art - May 2, 6 to 8 PM In partnership with Santa Cruz Pride, honoring the 50th Anniversary Celebration, "Here to Eternity", a bold and moving celebration of queer creativity and expression, (we will also be hosting an Artist Reception, Saturday May 3rd, 4-6PM). Featuring work by local […]

Quilts and other textile works by Annalie Taylor.

The Fábrica 703 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA

"My quilts are a chance for me to learn from my materials and to give them a second life. Most of my fabric is sourced second-hand from places like the Fábrica or local thrift stores. I incorporate natural dyes, some of which are locally foraged, and the slow and steady practice of hand quilting, which […]

Spring Into Art & Community

The Homeless Garden Project Downtown Store 1338 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA, United States

First Friday at the Homeless Garden Project Store Featuring Sylvia Valentine’s “HeartFelt & Found” Mixed Media Floral Art Friday, May 2 | 6:00–8:30 PM 1338 Pacific Ave., Downtown Santa Cruz Join us for First Friday in Downtown Santa Cruz and celebrate the arrival of spring with local art, good food, and a deeper mission. The […]

Out of Office – Works by Mike Bencze

Little Giant Collective 115 River St. S., Santa Cruz, CA

Little Giant Collective presents Out of Office - Works by Mike Bencze Since 2016, Mike Bencze has been documenting hiking trips and interpreting landscapes through illustration and silkscreen prints. His style is filtered through the lens of comic books and graphic novels, utilizing detailed linework, stylized effects, and rich colors. Each piece serves as a […]