Putnam, CT – As 2015 begins, the Putnam Business Association is already busy planning for the upcoming season of First Fridays. This year’s events will occur over six evenings: May 1st, June 5th, July 3rd, August 7th, September 4th, and October 2nd, and will continue the tradition of live music, community art projects, engaging performances, and a myriad of art vendors. 2015 will see a new season-long theme, A Century of Art, with each month exploring a distinct period of art in the 20th century, including: Art Nouveau, The Jazz Age, World War II & the Arts, Pop Art, Urban Art, and Digital Art. With the 2015 theme as inspiration, there will also be a poster contest, allowing local artists to compete for the chance to submit the cover art for the 2015 First Fridays program.
Over the past four years, First Fridays has grown in size and recognition from a small outdoor art festival, to an award-winning seasonal event. In December of 2014, the Connecticut Economic Resource Center and Governor Malloy recognized the Putnam Business Association’s 2014 First Fridays events with a Celebrate Connecticut award. Building on this success, the First Fridays committee is confident that 2015 will see another banner season.
In 2014, First Fridays celebrated the different facets of cultural diversity with each monthly event. This year, First Fridays will focus on the evolution of art throughout the 20th century – a time of rapid change in the United States. As technology transformed people’s everyday lives, the arts – music, dance, photography, and theatre mirrored the leap forward taking place over the passing decades of the 1900’s. Throughout the 2015 season of First Fridays, each event will be a journey back in time, viewing the past through six different periods of the 20th century. With each month, be on the lookout for theme related performances, community art projects, and art attacks.
Last year, the First Fridays committee held its First Annual Poster Contest, searching for original artwork to grace the cover of the 2014 event program. Fourteen artists submitted posters with the winning entry serving as the cover artwork for the program. At the July event, all fourteen entries were part of a silent auction, with proceeds going to the Putnam Arts Council, the driving force behind the Art Attacks featured at each First Fridays. For 2015, the First Fridays committee is eager to engage local artists once again with the Second Annual First Fridays Poster Contest. For a second year, the winning artist will receive a cash prize and will see their work on the cover of the 2015 program. The contest will allow artists to be inspired by the 2015 theme, A Century of Art. Entrants are encouraged to use creativity to interpret and explore art of the 20th century to create an original work. All pieces must fit into a 16×20 poster frame portrait orientation and must be submitted by March 14th. A detailed description of the 2015 theme will be available to all artists interested in submitting art for the contest.
There is much more excitement to come in the months ahead! For more information on the 2015 season of First Fridays and for more on this year’s theme and poster contest, visit www.discoverputnam.com.
Contact: Ann Monteiro – First Fridays Committee Chair – fcs.annm@gmail.com