Explore West Town on the first Friday of every month, when our neighborhood galleries and arts- based businesses stay open until 8PM.
May 1st, 2026 First Friday
April Featured Galleries
West Town Chamber of Commerce
1819 W Chicago Ave
The Bomberhead: Perception of Value Series explores joy, material, and the idea that value is shaped by perception.
Each Bomberhead is constructed using layered paint textures and integrated deconstructed federal currency. The materials are reassembled into vibrant character-based compositions that challenge traditional ideas of worth. Rather than presenting money as currency, the pieces invite viewers to consider paper as texture, color, and meaning.
The Bomberhead functions as a conduit of joy within the Ghostskate universe. Each character carries its own energy and is intended to bring good fortune and optimism to the viewer. Through texture, material, and form, the series encourages audiences to slow down, look deeper, and reconsider what creates value.
McDonald “Ghostskater” Predelus is a Chicago-based mixed-media artist, creative director, and founder of Ghostskate — the largest skateboarding meetup group in the United States. His work blends street culture, character design, and layered material exploration to create visual symbols centered around joy, movement, and perception.
Ghostskater is the creator of the Bomberhead — a recurring character within the Ghostskate universe that acts as a conduit of joy and positive energy. Bomberheads appear across paintings, sculptures, skateboards, and installations, each carrying its own personality and sense of optimism.
Chicago Artists Coalition
1431 W Hubbard St #201, Chicago, IL 60642
Join us on Friday, May 1 for the opening of "homeward (un)bound", a three-person exhibition by 2024-26 Artist Residents Maryam Faridani, Jairo Granados-Cardenas, and Martha Osornio Ruiz, curated by 2024-26 Curatorial Resident Gordon Dic-Lun Fung.
https://www.chicagoartistscoalition.org/event/homeward-unbound/
Fulton Street Collective
1821 W Hubbard St, Unit 307
Friday May, 1 from 6-10pm. It's the annual Open House and Huge Art Exhibit at Hubbard Street Lofts on Friday, May 1st. Get a behind-the-scenes look at a collection of some of Chicago's most talented artists, designers, organizations and galleries -- all under the 1821 roof. Each tenant will be opening their doors for the annual night of community delight. “Huge Art Show and Open Studios” event presents our established art collectives as we foster, develop and promote the growth of over 300 artists through our shared and community studio spaces.
https://fultonstreetcollective.com/events/
Chicago Fine Art Salon
2623 W Chicago Ave
5pm-9pm Opening Reception of "Figures"
Filter Photo
1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 207
Filter Photo is pleased to present "try, take time – take time, try," a solo exhibition by Asian-American artist Jesse Ly. This multidisciplinary body of work spans photographic, sculptural, and installation approaches to examine the intersection of care and labor. The work navigates the interplay between tenderness and firmness, exploring how these forces coexist in the process of change, and together create space for protection, affirmation, and possibility.
Ghost Omikron Studios
3052 W Carroll Ave
Pull up for an intimate night of sound, creativity, and community.
We’re opening the studio for First Fridays, a live music + open mic experience surrounded by art on the walls, all available for sale.
What’s happening:
🎶 Live music & open mic performances: 8:00–9:00 PM
🖼️ Art on the walls from featured creatives
🤝 A cozy, creative crowd. Come vibe, listen, and connect
This is an intimate studio setting, so arrive early, get settled, and respect the space and performers.
Entry Instructions:
Text 347-515-2916 when you arrive and buzz the doorbell for entry.
Come support local artists, discover new music, and experience the studio in its full creative energy.
The WTFF program facilitates connection amongst West Town's galleries and arts-based businesses and their represented artists, collectors, and patrons, as well as independent area artists.
The West Town Chamber of Commerce launched the First Fridays program in October 2022 at the request of and with support from a contingency of its Member galleries.
The goal of WTFF is to ensure the continued success of West Town area galleries, both emergent and established, as cornerstones of the West Town neighborhood—a nexus of organic growth and sustainable development in the arts and beyond.
The program intends to amplify Member galleries' own programming efforts by creating a monthly guide to exhibitions and events and supplementary programming for patrons to utilize when visiting the neighborhood on the first Friday of each month.
Is your business interested in participating? Here are the guidelines:
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Be located within (and be a Member of) the West Town Chamber of Commerce's service area: Division Street to Hubbard; Halsted Street to Kedzie Avenue. Not a Member yet? Apply today!
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Be showcasing art in some form. This includes traditional galleries, as well as retail, food & beverage, or service businesses that are exhibiting art.
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Be open from 6-8 p.m. the First Friday of each month. Extended hours of programming before or beyond that window are fine, but 6-8 p.m. is the minimum requirement.
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Provide your programming details in advance of the first Friday of the month via this google form.
Interested in presenting an exhibition or event in our office gallery?
In addition to organizing the monthly initiative, the Chamber has also transformed its office space into a rotating gallery where arts-based Members that lack a traditional gallery space are invited to utilize the space for their own exhibitions and related programming.
Interested Members can fill out this Member Expression of Interest form. Not a Member yet? It's easy to apply!