Art at First

Art at First embraces the creative spark in all of God’s children, encouraging this aspect of our sacred lives by: Opening our doors as a community venue for artists to gather and display or perform their work; providing space for arts-based spiritual formation, education, and fellowship; and engaging our congregation and community at the intersections of art and faith, peace and justice.

Art at First Programming

Upcoming Events

Scale Show Opening

Sunday, September 19th during coffee fellowship and evening show opening Thursday, September 23rd at 6 p.m. Join us for either or both openings! Regular gallery hours will be Tuesdays and Fridays 12-6 p.m. For more information email [email protected].

Summer Reflections Event

Sunday, September 19th at 4 p.m. A late afternoon program of short readings – serious and comic, thought-provoking and rib-tickling. Read by some of FPC’s favorite voices! For more information email [email protected].

Monthly Programs

Visual Arts Bible Study

2nd Tuesdays of the month at 6:30 p.m. in person

This Bible Study works through some of the major pieces of Scripture which show the need for art making as a vital spiritual practice in personal spiritual development. Throughout the Bible study, we will work through our Scripture texts through conversation as well as art making. All are welcome – whether you have been working with the visual arts your entire life or this is the first time you have looked at a work of art – join us! For more information contact Audrey Webber at [email protected].

Drop In Drawing

1st and 3rd Thursdays 1-2:30 p.m.

Join us twice a month for these informal drawing and art making sessions! Twice a month we will explore various locations around First Church as we draw some of our favorite as well as new locations. Whether you have never picked up a pencil or been drawing your whole life, all are welcome to join us! All materials are provided! For more information contact Audrey Webber at [email protected].

Gallery Hours

Tuesdays and Fridays 12-6 p.m.

Visit The Great Hall Gallery! Drop in and spend some time with our shows throughout the year.

WINTER 2020 VIRTUAL EXHIBITION

“Invincible Beings” brings together artworks by twenty-five artists from NYFA’s Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program. Curated by Zahra Banyamerian, Program Officer at NYFA Learning, This exhibition celebrates different ways of seeing nurtured by the artists’ movement within and between places. The artists represented use different mediums and materials and explore various visual and conceptual strategies to reflect on their invincible beings in the world as they make sense of the past, present, and future.

Click HERE for the virtual gallery!

FALL 2020 VIRTUAL EXHIBITION

Art at First presents Save the Earth: Artists Respond to the Climate Crisis. The earth, our home, is one of our greatest inspirations, but the planet is under threat. Artists remind us of the reverence and awe we hold for nature, and respond with a call to action. This show features artists from the New York Artists Circle.

ALICE ZINNES

Lost Tenderness Empty Space Touch. 42×52 oil painting.

ANN R. SHAPIRO

PUERTO RICO– WE DON’T KNOW WHAT TO HOPE FOR, 18×24, Digital on Canvas, 2017©

KRISTIN REED

Atomic Pachamama Crust, 2015, 14×14, Acrylic Collage Wood

LUCY WILNER

Red All Over

YONA VERWER

Book of Yona

ELLEN ALT

Twilight Ice Writing

ELAINE FOREST

FOREST FIRE, 16 x 20, Oil on canvas, 2020

BASCOVE

Methodus Plantarum Sexualis, 22 x 36, Photography Drawing Collage

AMY REGALIA

Buffalo Grid (before the white man), Archival Pigment Print

ALISE LOEBELSOHN

Covid Landscape, 36×48, 2020

ARIEL CABRERA MONTEJO

Secondary Scene. Oil on linen.

GIORGIO VIERA

Campesinos Felices 03. Photograph.

GEANDY PAVÓN

Empty Marat. Acrylic and oil on canvas.

JAIRO ALFONSO

340-2014. Watercolor pencil on paper.

ARMANDO GUILLER

Free Matter no3. Enameled steel.

Curators: Barbara Swanson Sherman and Fran Beallor

View the full virtual gallery on our Facebook page here!

To learn more about each artist visit https://artatfirst.blogspot.com

About the New York Artists Circle

We are the New York Artists Circle (NYAC), a group of professional visual artists who connect to share information, opportunities, skills and resources. Exhibiting and selling artwork are priorities. For over 20 years we have built a collective bank of expertise through monthly meetings, an active listserve, a dynamic social media presence, and a group website. We support our members in their professional growth, fostering groundbreaking ideas, fresh approaches and innovative collaborations. Working together in community helps us to meet the challenges we face in our solo practices, proving that there is strength in numbers!