Economy has taken hit on First Friday, but co-founder remains optimistic

Seven years after the inaugural First Friday in October 2002, the monthly arts event has come almost full circle, at least in some ways.

It started as an impromptu art walk, with a few hundred people strolling the sidewalks around Main Street and Charleston Boulevard, ducking into art galleries along the way.

First Friday grew into a Goliath of a street party, attracting as many as 10,000 people who could now wander into roads that were closed off to accommodate the event. Tents and stages lined the street with musicians, dancers and street performers providing a colorful backdrop to what became known as the valley's foremost arts event.

First Friday still holds that spot. But in June it went retro, scaling back for the summer months, which also gave the impression that it was in danger of going away for good. And rightly so; Whirlygig, the nonprofit responsible for producing the monthly event, is nearly broke.

"I think people didn't really believe that we were out of money," says First Friday co-founder Cindy Funkhouser. "When we did the scaled-back version, people believed it; we are out of money."

At September's event, the streets were closed off, but fencing and barricades that once surrounded the central area near the Funk House were gone. They were necessitated as a safety measure by the city, a way to corral and patrol the expanding crowd. With their absence, there is no longer an official place to enter and collect a $2 fee that was implemented during the event's fatter days, Funkhouser says.

Local Ri DeCarlo was attending her first First Friday with her friends, nephews and niece. She enjoyed it, although her artist friend pointed out several times that the crowd was smaller than usual. They were glad to avoid the entrance fee.

"I think that for $2 it's not worth it," DiCarlo says. "They could always set up a place for donations, I'm sure some people would give more than $2. I would still go if there was a fee but I don't think it needs to be fenced off."

The city allowed organizers to forgo some things, such as the fencing and security, in an effort to save money.

Last year, the city of Las Vegas provided $80,000 to help defray the costs of staging the monthly event. That has been reduced to about $20,000 this year. The event costs more than $10,000 a month, Funkhouser says. That includes the cost of tent rentals, cleanup, setup, security and other essentials.

But it's not all doom and gloom. Since the $2 fee disappeared, attendance is up. It had originally been instituted to offset costs but some people objected to charging for admission, Funkhouser says. "People didn't like it," she says of the fee. "They wanted the event but didn't want to support it. From some of my communications, people believed the city was running First Friday and so they're entitled to it" and shouldn't be charged.

Volunteers have come forward to help out with services the event would usually pay for, such as setup and cleanup. People who do get paid have agreed to take less money, Funkhouser says.

There is only one stage instead of the usual two. The event organizers can no longer provide tents or tables to artists who want to set up in the streets, although they can rent what they need, Funkhouser says.

The trolley, which drives attendees around to outlying galleries, still operates. The Brett Wesley Gallery recently opened. The number of applications from artists is going up, though the economy is having a direct impact on art. People are making smaller, less expensive work, Funkhouser says.

"You have to work within the ability of what people can buy," she explains. "People want to buy art but can't really afford these big, expensive pieces right now."

Despite the setbacks, Funkhouser is as optimistic as ever about First Friday. She expects a large crowd for the anniversary this week. The Nevada Ballet Theatre is expected to perform on the Casino Center stage at 6 p.m. and a Miss First Friday will be crowned at 8:30 p.m. More than 50 artists are scheduled to exhibit.

And organizers are hosting a First Friday fundraiser at the Beauty Bar Oct. 14.

"We're having to figure out how to operate with what we've got," Funkhouser says.

For more information on First Friday or the fundraiser, visit firstfriday-lasvegas.org.

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564.