ArtsQuest’s Banana Factory Announces May ‘First Friday’ Activities

View the latest exhibitions and participate in First Friday fun!

Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley, PA., May 2, 2024 – ArtsQuest is excited to announce First Friday, being held tomorrow, May 3, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Banana Factory. Enjoy the opening of two new exhibitions, create your own fashion masterpieces, bid on glass works of art and hear from designers about their inspirations. We invite reporters come out and experience the event for themselves. 

In correspondence with the ReFash: A Futuristic Intersection of Style, Sustainability and Consumption exhibition, taking place in the Crayola Gallery, San Francisco designer Clementina Martinez-Masarweh will be speaking about her pieces within the exhibition and the importance of sustainable, slow fashion. We will also be hosting a Community Clothing Swap in the visual arts classroom from 5 to 8:30 p.m. The clothing swap is open to anyone to participate, no donation is required to find a fun new clothing item at this swap. Anything left at the end of the evening will be donated. NO shoes, undergarments/swimsuits, socks or jewelry will be accepted for the swap.

Teaching artist Cotty Kilbanks will be in Studio 102 creating fashion masterpieces. After checking out ReFash, attendees will have the opportunity to have fun coloring their own fashion idea, creating their own templates, designing with colorful fabrics and creating their own paper dolls.

Check out A Million Lines Drawn by Easton artist Giancarlo DeMarchi, located on the first floor hallway. DeMarchi “makes paintings as testimonials, observations or simple musings.” This exhibition reflects the tension that is everywhere in the world. Every shape and color faces tension with another. Every stacked shape and color finds contrast with another.

Then, head over to the Banko Gallery and bid on your favorite glass piece in the Playing with Fire exhibition/auction. The ArtsQuest Glass Studio offers classes on fusing, furnace work and beginner glass fusing classes year-round. At this First Friday event, the glass studio will be giving a glassblowing demonstration to any attendee that is interested. Don’t forget to bid on your favorite glass piece here so you can take home a unique work of art made by a local artist.

“First Fridays at the Banana Factory are an opportunity for the community to show their support for local artists, check out our new exhibitions, try their hand at artmaking, enjoy music and more,” says Lisa Harms, Senior Director of Visual Arts and Education. “The line-up for May First Friday includes two new exhibitions featuring the work of local, national and international artists. You can chat with artists in their studios, enjoy a glassblowing demonstration and listen to music from The Nite Liters, LLC. This free event is the perfect way to spark your creativity and kick off your weekend.”

About ArtsQuest  
ArtsQuest’s mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities. ArtsQuest™ supports this mission via the presentation of performing and visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest; the Banana Factory Arts Center; and the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest’s programming reaches more than 1.9o million people annually. The organization’s programs and events, of which over 50% are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region.