February First Friday in Downtown Waterville

First Fridays celebrate the vibrant creativity of Waterville by inviting people downtown to engage in multidisciplinary arts experiences! On the first Friday of every month, visit Main Street in downtown Waterville to meet artists, participate in various workshops, listen to live music, eat delicious local food, and come together as a community.

Artmaking at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center – 4 pm – 6 pm

Drop in to the Paul J. Schupf Art Center to try, make, and create at Waterville Creates! They will have a guided activity, but you can also choose your own adventure using materials in the studio.

Also at Schupf Arts, the Colby College Museum of Art will host a gathering with Tessa Greene O’Brien, the Lunder Institute resident fellow who created the Fields Alive with Pollen + Wings mural in the Hub. Using the same design process that Tessa used to create this 30-foot-tall work of art, you can add your own drawings of local flora (plants) and fauna (animals), creatures from your imagination, or colorful geometric shapes to Tessa’s original sketches. The creation of this large collaborative artwork will be fun for all ages.

Jazz at Greene Block + Studios – 5 pm – 7 pm

For an extra special First Friday, stop by Greene Block + Studios for an evening of jazz and roots music featuring NYC’s Ed Cherry leading a dynamic trio with Kyle Koehler and Joe Peri, as well as Portland’s Kafari. These combos aren’t to be missed!

Due to limited seating, tickets are required for this free concert. Click here to reserve your tickets. 

Artist Bios:

Ed Cherry is one of the most authentic and soulful voices on the guitar today. With fourteen years of experience playing with Dizzy Gillespie, he’s one of the most in demand players on the NYC jazz scene.

‘Kafari’ (he/him) is the alias of Cincinnati, OH born, Portland, ME based pianist, rhythm bones player, beatmaker, and teaching artist Ahmad Muhammad. Kafari’s music synthesizes his love of ambient piano music, spiritual jazz and experimental hip-hop. Kafari appears weekly on Monday nights in Portland at The Jewel Box, where he hosts a weekly performance featuring his piano/bass renditions of songs requested by the prior week’s audience.

 Participating Businesses

First Friday extends all the way up Main St! On your way to Greene Block + Studios and the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, stop by downtown businesses to shop or for a bite to eat.

• The Framemakers is open for extended hours, until 7 pm, with three exhibitions on display.

• Incense and Peppermints is staying open later than normal and will be offering 10% off purchases between 6 pm – 8 pm.

• Front & Main will have a First Friday Featured Cocktail – something new and off menu!

• The Robin’s Nest is offering 25% off loose cut flowers every first Friday during regular business hours, in store only.

• Portland Pie Waterville will have a special pizza and cocktail, both in house and for this First Friday and weekend only.

• The Costume Shop at 179 Main Street, Suite 214, a pop-up art and clothing shop by CE Nilles, will be open 4-6pm. OPEN Haiku reading 5:30 pm – all are welcome to read!

• Matthew Russ Artist Studio at 50 Main Street, 2nd floor, a Waterville-based landscape artist whose Main Street studio is a staging area for outdoor painting excursions throughout Maine. Open studio hours: 4-7pm

Contact Colby Arts Office Program Manager Tyler French at [email protected] if you have any questions.

Photo of Paul J. Schupf Art Center: Colby College.