Double the pleasure, double the fun

By Laura Davis

Friday, Jan. 8, 2010 | 4 p.m.

If having First Friday once a month isn't enough to get your arts fix, there's good news.

Mark your calendar because, starting this month, the Downtown Arts District is offering up a second showing of cultural festivities with the inauguration of Third Friday (that's January 15 this month). Now Las Vegans can browse the galleries, enjoy the bands and mingle amongst fellow art fanatics twice a month — doubling the pleasure and doubling the fun.

Taking place on the same streets and benefiting the same cause, Third Friday may be similar to First Friday in many ways, but it's projected to vary slightly. While Cindy Funkhouse, of the Funk House and Fallout galleries, runs the beginning of the month installment, Cion Noble of the Box Office gallery/venue is coordinating the middle-of-the-month run.

"The Box Office is kind of the home base," says Noble of Third Friday, "It'll spread out to other galleries as the weather warms up ... right now it's going to be the Gypsy Den and the Box Office."

Hans Cewe , one of the owners of the Gypsy Den — a vintage boutique and art gallery which also triples as a music venue — is happy to see the rise of another event to bring people Downtown. He's hoping things will spread out from there.

"It's about the only traffic that's down here, First Friday. Once Third Friday becomes like First Friday, [it] may as well be every Friday… then Saturday!"

The Gypsy Den, also run by Cewe's daughter Katie, will be offering up it's stage to local bands for the night, with the lineup so far including local acts Vitamin Overdose, Close to Modern and The Marquees.

"We're going to have artists, lots of bands, DJs, pizza from Boston Pizza and the tiki bar," says Hans of the strip of buildings surrounding the Gypsy Den itself that he refers to as the "Vegas Arts Village."

Third Friday's main focus is not merely on the patrons it brings Downtown, but also on the various artists involved. "It's basically going to be a networking opportunity for creative people," says Noble. "The theme is to network… I don't anticipate vendors and crafts in the first couple of months — I'd like to see it grow into something that's similar to First Friday eventually."

The mix of "creative people" so far set to ring in Third Friday's opening night at the Box Office includes photographer Cameron Grant, rock and blues bands Black Cherry Blue, Flux and JD Vittles, as well as comedy improv and musical open mic hosted by LV Freeze.

In keeping with the idea of supporting the arts, Funkhouse isn't viewing the second installment as a threat. Instead she's offering her support, "merely as a participant," and opening her galleries' doors — although she says the art on the walls will be the same as what's viewed the first weekend of the month. "It's not practical to change our show out every two weeks, that'd be too much work," explains Funkhouse.

If Third Friday catches on, Downtown can look forward to a more regular crowd. Who knows, maybe Cewe is right and the Arts District can eventually become an every weekend outing, we could all use a little more culture in our lives.

"What it's about is art, music, food and life…that's it," says Cewe.