First Friday fittingly feeds artistic hunger for Oshkosh residents of all shapes, sizes
The First Friday Art Walk combines local art, live music, and Oshkoshian delicacies to satisfy any person's needs. From 5-9 p.m. every first Friday of every month, even in the harsh Wisconsin winter, the event offers a variety of activities in various different small businesses located around the downtown Oshkosh area.
The Grand Oshkosh Opera House, which sponsored local artist Lauren Chriske, supports the endeavor.
Chriske is a local artist from Omro, Wisconsin. She primarily works with value pencils, but also favors other mediums and is open to exploring.
“I enjoy doing portraits and texture pieces the most,” she said. “But I also like incorporating new ideas into my work, like nature. I use pencil, oil pastels, acrylics, charcoal, rocks, and fabrics to create my pieces.”
For Chriske, art is a part of who she is and events like this help her develop her career.
“Art has always been in me, and I have always loved drawing,” she said. “I knew I wanted to be an artist since I was little. I started doing bigger art pieces in high school and eventually went to more events as I got older. Then my career really took off in 2021.”
Art is something that Chriske thinks everyone should be able to feel and is the source of inspiration for her creations.
“The main reason I create is because I want people to get a feeling from my work,” she said.
Other artists have similar feelings regarding their creations. The Jambalaya art studio and shop located just down the street from the Grand is an example of this. Owned by Aaron Baer, this business has been running since 2001 and continuously features local artists.
“I like this event because anyone can come down and show their art pieces. Anyone can bring canvases, clay, sculpture, and really anything that has to do with art,” Baer said. “It's really just a unique opportunity for artists to show their abilities.”
Jambalaya volunteer Chris Williams has participated in events like this, even presenting his own work in Jambalaya itself.
“I started my art when I was five,” he said. “I started doing bigger pieces about 15 years ago, and I started selling my art five years ago. Now I’m presenting my work here.”
Up the street sits Winnebago Bicycle, featuring Jodie Skadahl. Although Skadahl wasn’t able to make the event, their work was still featured for its uniqueness. The artist runs a small business called Upcycled which turns recycled items into decor and jewelry. One of Skadalh’s most known works is their upcycled bicycle chains, which just happened to be the primary showing at the shop.
A few blocks away is Manila Restop, a Filipino restaurant that featured music by John Harmon on the saxophone and Tom Washatka playing the piano.
“I decided that I wanted to go to Manila tonight to treat myself and was surprised to see musicians here,” said a local attendee. “Then I realized there must be an event or something happening downtown. I went to check out the rest of the experience and I loved it!”
Other locations that hosted this event were Becket’s, which featured Jim and Janine Sears; Gardina’s with Leif Larson; and various other restaurants holding specials and discounts, especially for event attendees.
Downtown local Krista Berkley is a fellow artist and appreciated the works around her.
“I love art, and I do art in my free time as well,” she said. “I like to do clay and sculpture, so when I heard about an art walk downtown, I just knew I had to see it.”
Art junkie Tom Jankovic also enjoyed the event overall and hopes it becomes more popular in the future.
“This was a unique experience for sure,” he said. “I would definitely recommend this, and I want to come to more First Friday events in the future.”
by Tenna Ruetten
Published November 28, 2022
Oshkosh West Index Volume 119 Issue III