Community members gather on Sept. 6 on Commercial Street for the Emporia First Friday Art Walk.
The first First Friday Art Walk of the school year kicked off with a gallery showcase and theatre performance in King Hall and art vendors and discounts at local businesses on Commercial Street and 12th Avenue.
In Karl C. Bruder Theater, ESU’s theatre department performed several songs from their upcoming musical She Loves Me, which will open Oct. 3 and run through Oct. 6.
Among those selling their art downtown were Emporia State groundskeeper Jordan Briceland and assistant professor of biology Rachel Bowes.
Briceland’s unique metal and wire sculptures populated the backroom of Trox Gallery and Gifts. Before Briceland became groundskeeper at ESU, he got his degree in sculpture with a specialization in foundry work from the University of Kansas in 2009 and worked at a Tibetan Monastery for a few years in Northern California. He stayed at the monastery for three years before moving to India, doing sculpture projects for that same organization. From there, he moved to Korea and began making art out of trash from the street.
“Moving to Korea, I had the idea of doing mandala pattern shapes, finding all kinds of cool stuff on the beaches and streets,” said Briceland. “For me, it’s just a habit. When I was a little kid, my sister got mad at me for carving doodles in the bars of soap in the shower… I love the idea of just making images.”
Bowes is inspired by nature to make jewelry with stones.
“I do all my creations in stones and wire. They take a lot of hours starting with a blank canvas stone… I’m inspired a lot by nature or by the stones themselves,” said Bowes at her booth in Middle Ground Books. “I create wearable art. I create art on the go. Jewelry can reflect your personality. Art doesn’t just have to be on a wall or a shelf … being able to wear art is special.”