October's First Friday Art Openings Feature Giant Produce and Unfulfilled Promises

Whether you're in the mood for something a little odd, or maybe even nothing at all, October's collection of First Friday art openings has a lot to offer.

In addition to big events like Presa House's third anniversary show and Blue Star Contemporary's newest slate of artists, we've rounded up a selection of exhibitions that can be found at Blue Star and beyond this Thursday and Friday.

"Lunatics, Royals, Fiends, & Other Delights" and "Smo³"
FL!GHT Gallery is playing host to two exhibitions in its space this month. In the main gallery, Vikky Jones' "Lunatics, Royals, Fiends, & Other Delights" features amalgamations of famous cartoon characters rendered surrealistically with collage and drawing. From a portrait of Dumbo created using tacos, wine and a disassembled chair to a portrait of a woman whose face melts into cookies, machinery and bowls of food, Jones is here to take viewers on a wild ride.

In the salon room, FL!GHT will showcase "Smo³," the latest from San Antonio glassblower Adam Smolensky, who has graduated from marbles to cubes. Viewers that make their way to the rear of the gallery can grab a brewsky from a friendly attendant, which they can nurse while contemplating what it means to take art to the third power.

Free, 6-9 p.m. Thursday, October 3 and Friday, October 4, FL!GHT Gallery, 112R Blue Star, facebook.com/flightSA.

"The Grand Gourd"
Like Linus crowing about The Great Pumpkin, John Dalton Atkins gleefully invites members of the public to "bear witness to the largest specimen of the family Cucurbitaceae ever discovered" at Studio 204. While we're not sure of the provenance of this supposedly recordbreaking fruit, Atkins gave a sneak peek at multicolored, magical gourd on Instagram.

Free, 6-10 p.m. Thursday, October 3 and Friday, October 4, Studio 204, 1420 S. Alamo St., facebook.com/theupstairsstudios.

"Hiveminded"
The latest creatures to get the Hilary Rochow treatment may be small, but they have a huge impact. From gently bobbing bees and butterflies to whizzing wasps and bats, these creatures play an indispensable role in the pollination of the world's flora, yet habitat destruction and climate change have put many species in peril. In her pen drawings, Rochow carefully recreates the complex shapes of various pollinators, capturing the simple beauty of their bodies and honoring their importance within the ecosystem at large.

Free, 6-10 p.m. Thursday, October 3 and Friday, October 4, Flax Studio, 1420 S. Alamo St., (909) 518-2245, flaxstudiosa.com

"Jam To-Morrow"
For her master's thesis exhibition, UTSA student Elizabeth Camilletti draws from the Queen's unfulfillable promise to Alice in Through the Looking Glass: "The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday — but never jam to-day." She invites viewers to step through the mirror into a land of unfulfilled promises rendered in brightly colored textiles.

Free, 6-9 p.m. Thursday, October 3 and Friday, October 4, Terminal 136, 136 Blue Star, (210) 458-4391, art.utsa.edu/terminal-136.

"Night Moves"
Coming off of his September show at DAMAS gallery and studio, Brian Caron has shifted from dawn to dusk with his latest exhibition, "Night Moves." Caron isolates brightly lit Southside landmarks against a darkened void, creating a surreal urban landscape dotted by islands of habitation.

Free, 6-9 p.m. Friday, October 4, The Gallery at MBS, 1115 S. Alamo St., (210) 412-0398, mbsfitness.net.

"Mestizo"
Preview what SAY Sí has in store for Muertitos Fest at "Mestizo," an art exhibition celebrating this year's theme for Say Sí's annual Dia de los Muertos festival. Originally used to classify someone as having a mixed heritage European and Indigenous American descent, "Mestizo" is now often used to describe many Spanish-speaking Latin Americans, regardless of their family trees. In both this exhibition and this year's Muertitos Fest on November 1 and 2, SAY Sí commemorates the convergence of many cultures in our region, as well as its indigenous roots.

Free, 6-9 p.m. Friday, October 4, Say Sí, 1518 S. Alamo St., (210) 212-8666, saysi.org.

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