Explore West Town on the first Friday of every month, when our neighborhood galleries and arts- based businesses stay open until 8PM.
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March 6th, 2026 First Friday
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See the Map here ​​
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March Featured Galleries
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West Town Chamber of Commerce
1819 W Chicago Ave
Bennett Day School Presents: Our Knowing is a Road
A Multimedia Arts Exhibition
The Reggio Emilia Approach is an educational philosophy that is driven by the creative voice of the child. A diverse range of artistic materials give children access to the many ‘languages’ within them. Through creative play children construct, express, and exchange knowledge. Practitioners of Reggio are said to engage in a ’pedagogy of listening’ where educators are closely attuned to the curiosities of a given child or group of children. Bennett Day School embraces the core tenets of this progressive practice, alongside an eagerness to adapt these values to meet the unique needs of our school community.
Our Knowing is a Road showcases a dynamic range of collaborative artworks by Bennett Day School's Early Childhood and Lower School students. Their work draws upon global traditions, contemporary methods, and experimental techniques that have shaped the present landscape of 21st Century art. Students have been empowered to sway, meander, and converge until creative ideas materialize. Knowledge; no longer isolated, no longer invisible, unfolds into a powerful, collective act.
Reception and Interactive Workshop: Friday, March 6th from 5pm-7pm
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Filter Photo
1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 207
Filter Photo is pleased to present Context 2026, our twelfth annual survey exhibition of contemporary photography. This year's edition was juried by Sara Ickow, Associate Director of Exhibitions at the International Center of Photography, and features the work of 25 artists. Join us at Filter Space to celebrate the opening on March 6th from 5 – 8 PM.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DUGzP75EubS/?img_index=1
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ARC Gallery
1463 W Chicago Ave
Iris Goldstein - A New Way of Seeing, Cait Hardie - Meander, Lya Finston - A Lesser Light
Opening Reception: Friday, March 6th, 5-8pm
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Fulton Street Collective
Abstractions: Seeing with the Mind's Eye Opening on Friday March 6th, from 6-10pm.
Curated by Ryan Miller
How does an artist draw an emotion, or paint a sound? Join us on Friday, March 6 as The Fulton Street Collective presents "Abstractions: Seeing with the Mind's Eye." This group art show will feature abstract art that expresses things beyond which the eye can see.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1983733662786
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!