23 Venues Offer Arts Experiences For First Fridays of the Valley 6/6

HARRISONBURG, VA – Arts Council of the Valley (ACV) is delighted to share its June First Fridays of the Valley lineup, featuring arts programming at 23 venues throughout the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County! A list of venues, online map, and additional information about June 6 events are available at valleyarts.org/first-fridays-of-the-valley/. We appreciate Kathy Moran Wealth Group, Exclusive Sponsor for the 2025 First Fridays of the Valley program.

The following First Fridays of the Valley venues plan to offer arts experiences June 6. Unless otherwise noted, events are scheduled 5-7 pm.

• Asbury United Methodist Church (205 S Main St) debuts Theological Reflections, a new exhibition of paintings and digital drawings by Rev. Kathy Pigg/Brown. Refreshments will be available. asburydowntown.org
• Bridgewater Retirement Community (210 Virginia Ave - Bridgewater) opens BRC Fiber Arts Show, featuring fiber works by Bridgewater Retirement Community residents. brcliving.org/
• City of Harrisonburg (409 S Main St) invites you to an opening reception at City Hall for Pollinator Friendly City, an exhibition of photography by Harriet Flynn and Brittany Clem-Hott. Pop in to meet the artists while you check out their work. harrisonburgva.gov/first-fridays

• Creative Art Studio and Event Center (423 N Main St - Bridgewater) provides a children’s art activity and refreshments from 5 to 8 pm. facebook.com/creativeartwithjoyce/.
• Court Square Theater (41-F Court Square) welcomes Rocktown Improv back to the stage; join this group of local actors and improv artists - who craft unscripted scenes through games and audience suggestions - for an evening of live, improvisational theatre at 7:30 pm (doors open at 7 pm). A $5 donation at the door is appreciated. courtsquaretheater.org/event/rocktown-improv
• Explore More Discovery Museum (150 S Main St) hosts art activities for children; admission is free. iexploremore.com
• Friendly City Food Co-op (150 Wolfe St) welcomes your visit to an opening reception for “How to Properly Use” Attention Surplus Disorder. Explore this exhibition of acrylic, ink, and pencil works on paper, canvas, and wood by Jeffrey Minnich; meet the artist; and sample refreshments from the co-op. friendlycity.coop/event/first-friday-jeff/
• Friendly City Real Estate Services (52 E Market St) invites you to enjoy works by local students Zaida Wang and Abigail Kyle in their exhibition Perceptions. friendlycityres.com
• Gaines Group Architects (141 W Bruce St, Suite 201) opens Lori Meir’s newest exhibition of photography: A Bond With The Landscape. Stop by the reception to meet the artist and enjoy refreshments. facebook.com/events/1405684150359375
• Gift & Thrift (731 Mt Clinton Pike) hosts VOICE for an evening of a cappella music, featuring a variety of choral works and popular current hits. giftandthrift.org/
• Harrisonburg Baptist Church (501 S Main St) hosts the Fishbowl Five Brass Quintet, from the JMU School of Music, for an exciting concert 6-7 pm. Donations received this evening will benefit Open Doors. hbcalive.org
• Hotel Madison & Shenandoah Valley Conference Center (710 S Main St) hosts a reception (5-7 pm in the mezzanine gallery) for continuing exhibition SVWS at HOTEL MADISON, featuring watercolor and acrylic paintings by Shenandoah Valley Watercolor Society Signature Members. Meet the artists in the mezzanine gallery, then enjoy live music by guitarist singer-songwriter, JMUsical Seed Gina Bretz, as she performs songs from the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s from 6 to 8 pm. Food and beverages are available for purchase at Quills lobby bar and Monty’s Restaurant. hotelmadison.com
• JMU @ Harrisonburg Innovation Hub (25 N Liberty St) announces the opening of The Invisible Threads by Behnaz Ghasempour. Explore mixed media works - featuring drawing, copper, and thread - and partake of light refreshments during the reception. facebook.com/events/668298872851243/
• Look West Gallery @ The Mark-It (125 W Water St) showcases Kafkaesque : Pausing a Moving World, an exhibition of Rio Stanley’s photography. Pop in during the reception and get to know the artist. themarkithva.com/
• Mashita (105 N Liberty St) features Invasive Species, Fashion, and Mola Mola: A Collection of Recent Interests in June, highlighting mixed media works by Abby Mundy. eatmashita.com/
• Northwestern Mutual (83 S Main St) shows acrylic paintings by Shelley Boyers in Northwestern Mutual Gallery. Refreshments will be available. northwesternmutual.com/office/va/harrisonburg/86244590

• North Wing Gallery at Sage Bird Ciderworks (325 N Liberty St) celebrates the opening of Cyndi Gusler’s newest exhibition: Salt & Fury. Meet the artist, enjoy complimentary charcuterie, and connect with this collection of vivid oil paintings from 5 to 8 pm. The reception also coincides with Sage Bird’s 5th Annual Cheers to Educators K-12 Appreciation Event. facebook.com/events/1616079549017607/
• OASIS Fine Art & Craft (103 S Main St) shares Movement, an exhibition of fiber and glass works by Edda Duff and Barbara Camph. Meet the artists, sample refreshments, and enjoy live music by Cousin Jimmy’s Stringband. facebook.com/events/1048722507173215/
• Pale Fire Brewing Co (217 S Liberty St, Ste 105) offers music by Jacob Ritter (of The Wilson Springs Hotel) and an opening reception for Life is an Abstraction by Judith Anderson. Explore oil and cold wax paintings while you jam out to live music; meet the artist; and enjoy refreshments. palefirebrewing.com/
• Park Gables Gallery at VMRC (1491 Virginia Ave) features the 2025 National Juried Art Exhibition with 94 works of art - in a variety of media - by 76 artists from all around the United States. Refreshments will be available. vmrc.org/events/2025-national-juried-art-exhibition
• Rebecca’s Well Gift Shop (405 N Main St - Bridgewater) hosts Night Out on the Town, with Karen VanSant of Sew Crazy Quilting. Meet the artist and peruse her embroidered works from 5 to 8 pm. facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550652462412#
• Rootstock Wine Bar and Provisions (86 W Gay St) presents How I See It, with oil paintings by Ann Elizabeth McCarty. Enjoy the artwork and a free wine tasting at the opening reception. facebook.com/events/1501495064152393
• Smith House Galleries (311 S Main St) welcomes you to an opening reception for two new exhibitions - Liminal, by Keith G. Mills; and Seconds Between Time, by Peter Schnibbe - sponsored by GreeneHurlocker. Explore new painted works, enjoy light refreshments, and meet the exhibiting artists. valleyarts.org/smith-house-galleries-current-exhibition

Other 2025 First Fridays of the Valley participating venues are: Aristocat Cafe, Arts Incarnate, Chestnut Ridge Coffee Roasters, Draime Fine Art Studio School, Duke Hall Gallery of Fine Art, Fairfield Mediation Center, The Frame Factory & Gallery, Friendly City Clay & Art Center, Furious Flower Poetry Center, The Golden Pony, Hess Financial, Horizon Gifts and Board Games, Stoney Run Artisans & Highland Designs (McGaheysville), Ten Thousand Villages, Three Notch’d Valley Collab House, and The Wing Gallery at The Perch.

Arts Council of the Valley is located at 311 South Main Street in Downtown Harrisonburg, Virginia. Programs are supported in part by ACV 25th Anniversary Presenting Sponsor Kathy Moran Wealth Group, and 25th Anniversary Visionary Sponsor Riner Rentals.

A 501(c)3 nonprofit, ACV is dedicated to cultivating the arts, creating experiences, and connecting communities throughout the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Since it was established in 2000, ACV has grown into a multi-faceted community organization that fosters innovative partnerships among area businesses, civic organizations, schools, and artists. Today, ACV manages Court Square Theater and Smith House Galleries, funds local art projects through its Advancing the Arts grant program (awarding more than $518,300 since 2001), supports public art initiatives, and coordinates monthly First Fridays of the Valley community gatherings.

ACV is supported in part by the City of Harrisonburg, the Harrisonburg Redevelopment & Housing Authority, and the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. To learn more, visit valleyarts.org.

This press release was provided by Martha Hemingway at Arts Council of the Valley.