Gather for July's Gallery Night Around Town

Friday, July 13

In case this summer doesn't feel as though it is flying by fast enough for you, it is already time for the July edition of the Erie Art Museum's Gallery Night, the exciting art series in which locally owned galleries and boutiques simultaneously open their doors for an evening of imagination, conversation and collaboration.

As always, there will be something intriguing at the Erie Art Museum itself, and this month patrons can look forward to three new exhibits: the Pennsylvania garden-themed Archiving Ephemeral Beauty, photography celebrating Erie's waterfront in Erie's Historic Lakefront: Harbor to Point, and Impressionism-tinged paintings from Mary Beth McKenzie: A Life in Art.

If you wanted to stay a spell downtown, there is the already-essential coffee shop Ember + Forge just a hop, skip and a jump away from the EAM's steps, with a mystical yet vivid display of watercolors and oils by Mercy Maclay. Just east, Pufferbelly Restaurant nostalgists can visit a significant building from Erie's past, re-minted as The Events Center at the Firehouse, now owned by ERIE Insurance, where David Ludwick will be featured, along with nearly 50 other local artists. And the opening of Jared K. Faulkner's Cowboys Are Dead at the Erie Art Gallery on West 8th Street promises to be an experience of extraordinary passion and provocation.

Further up State Street, the always-busy PACA building has two businesses hosting artist space. The Elusive Fox Boutique, which just celebrated its grand opening, and the Erie ClaySpace will be all about getting your hands dirty on the potter's wheel, but make sure you give them a good wash before touching any of the original pieces and boutique goods for sale.

Artlore Studio is always worth a trip west, and this Gallery Night will be a special treat with I Am Magic, The Work of Nancy Bryan. Not only does the artist work in a variety of mediums, the gallery and studio is hosting live folk/alternative music by Mike Abadon Faluz and will provide refreshments.

Out on 26th, B3 Gallery and Gifts is celebrating its one-year anniversary, and its owners are giving back by hosting a benefit for Project Love, a crucial charity which ensures that underprivileged children receive Christmas gifts during the holiday season, when they would not otherwise. You can show your support for this mission by stopping by B3, where artist Erin Zaiger's medium of choice is paint on reclaimed wood and canvas, and where the shop will have giveaways, tip boards and a toy drive (a donation nets you a coupon for B3), plus Rusty Wheel Food Truck and the Erie Beer and Courtyard Winery on hand for refreshments.

Check out the link below for a full listing of the host stops which are opening their doors to the public around town, and bear in mind that if you miss July's Gallery Night, you won't have the opportunity to attend another until September. — Cara Suppa

7 p.m. to 10 p.m. // Various locations // Free // erieartmuseum.org