Explore West Town on the first Friday of every month, when our neighborhood galleries and arts- based businesses stay open until 8PM.
August 7th, 2026 from 6pm-8pm
August Featured Galleries
West Town Chamber of Commerce
1819 W Chicago Ave
Kaleidoscope’s World
by Benjamin Kende
I love Kaleidoscopes and how they take broken pieces to make beauty. Like kaleidoscopes, I have witnessed in my own life and the lives of loved ones the struggles to take our broken pieces and build a life of beauty. I have seen the bravery of transforming adversity into that which makes us wonderfully unique human beings.
It is this creative act that brings richness to our world. Kaleidoscope’s World is how I am exploring this creative transformation. I am taking parts of our world that are unappealing and discarded to produce beautifully compelling works of art. Detail photographs of dead rusty cars in a junkyard are given a new life. The ordinary power lines and other urban structures that scar our open skies become extraordinary through this transformation.
My hope is that these images will inspire me and the viewers to approach adversity as opportunities for beautiful transformation.
Benjamin Kende has been developing his fine art practice for the last ten years using many of the skills and techniques perfected over a 25 year career as a commercial photographer. He has lived and worked for 37 years in a factory building he converted located in the Ukrainian Village. He can be found making the source photographs for his art near his home and sometimes in Europe, South America, and the Middle East.
ARC Gallery
1463 West Chicago Ave
Join us at ARC Gallery on Friday, August 7, from 5–8 PM for the opening reception of three compelling new exhibitions. Experience Megan Wolfkill's To Bear Witness, an exploration of intimacy, perception, and the transformative act of truly seeing another. Discover Jayne King's Archaeology of the Self, where hand-painted porcelain "memory vessels" examine memory, ancestry, and the stories carried through generations, alongside a new exhibition by Michelle Williams. Meet the artists, explore the exhibitions, and celebrate an evening of contemporary art that invites reflection, connection, and conversation.
August Solo Shows at ARC Gallery:
- Jayne King: Archaeology of the Self
- Megan Wolfkill: To Bear Witness
- Michelle Williams: Luminous Witness
Learn more here
Chicago Truborn
1741 W Chicago Ave
Chicago Truborn is proud and forever grateful to present the best of the best visual artists spanning across multiple mediums celebrating the legacy of the good ole Grateful Dead. 22 artists, one piece each... this is "Standing on the Moon". We will be playin all the right tunes and serving up cold drinks for all!
Learn more here
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!