May's Gallery Night a Springtime Delight

Art lovers will again be in their element as the Erie Art Museum and participating partners put on another Gallery Night.

Friday, May 18

It's here — spring is finally here, and while April's showers more closely resembled something out of the Night King's (the icy overlord of the dead from Game of Thrones) vacation photos, there are all kinds of flowers sprouting up across our great city this May. Blooming with particular brilliance is the Erie Art Museum's May edition of Gallery Night, a veritable pleasure garden of visual, audible and culinary treasures spread from one end of Erie to the other.

Downtown, the Erie Art Museum will debut two new exhibits: the first is the 95th Annual Spring Show, and the second is called "Vintage Neon," a collection of "mid-century signage" photographs by Pittsburgh-based Chuck Biddle. The photographer himself will be on hand starting at 7:15 to discuss his work, while poets like Chuck Joy and Kim Noyes will recite original poetry inspired by the Spring Show.

Elsewhere, 20 different boutiques, galleries and shops will open their doors to the public for rare nighttime hours. Close to the Erie Art Museum and perfect for a nighttime stroll, Glass Growers Gallery will feature the works of Kate Nash in an exhibit called "Parsing Beauty," a celebration of "drama, strength, form, and color" in the form of close-up paintings depicting flowers from the artist's own garden. Gallery Night also extends up State, where PACA will host Fairview High School's annual photo and art exhibition; to Peach and Independence Hill, where Pointe Foure Vintage Boutique will present Rachel L. Berlin's first solo show, with the incredible Rebecca Mae on hand; westward to the First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant Community Gallery, which will feature art that speaks to and of 12-step recovery; and lakeside, too, at the Bayfront Gallery, now in its 23rd season.

This is just a broad overview of everything happening on Gallery Night, many of which include light refreshment and live music, so whatever the weather decides to do, nothing can dampen or dim the evening's many delights. — Cara Suppa

7 p.m. to 10 p.m. // Various locations throughout Erie // Free // erieartmuseum.org/events-gallery-night