The First Friday Art Walk in Portland, Maine has garnered recent popularity as more locals and visitors find out about the unique way to see Portland, its landmarks, famous galleries and shops and get a little exercise at the same time.

Upcoming 2008 walks will be on Apr 4, May 2, Jun 6, Jul 4, Aug 1, Sep 5, Oct 3, Nov 7, and Dec 5. Self-guided tours take place on the First Friday of every month from 5-8 pm and allow you to visit local art galleries, art studios, museums, and alternative art venues.

MEG PERRY CENTER
644 Congress Street
Earl Dotter and Tennessee Watson
Farmworkers Feed Us All
Photo and Written Documentary
The exhibit features scenes, stories and quotes from Maine’s migrant farmworker population. Those who migrate to Maine are a diverse collection of workers hailing from Central America, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean to harvest local crops such as wild blueberries, broccoli, apples and eggs as well as planting and thinning trees and dairy farming.
www.peoplesfreespace.org
207 772 0680
Venue Description: Community Space for Peace and Justice. Monthly art shows focusing on political and social themes.
Hours: Tues-Sat 12-6pm

PORTLAND MUSEUM OF ART
7 Congress Square
New Natural History
All the works selected for this exhibition begin with references to older forms of scientific inquiry and natural history, but quickly move into the realm of the modern in conception. The exhibition includes 25 works by contemporary Maine artists.
www.portlandmuseum.org
207 775 6148
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sat, Sun; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday. Memorial Day through Columbus Day, open Mondays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Directions: Located at the intersection of High, Free, and Congress Streets in downtown Portland. From 295, take exit 6A (Forest Ave So). Right before the first light, bear right onto Rt. 77 (State Street). Drive through the park and proceed to the light at the top of the hill. Turn left onto Congress Street, and proceed 2/10 mile to the Museum, on the left.

SPACE GALLERY
538 Congress Street
Group Show
The New Constructionists
Drawings
Drawing show featuring new work by Meghan Brady, Jena Derman, Gina Siepel, and Zoë Wright. While the artists draw on a range of influences, the works all possess a certain “built” quality, employing functions of form and space, symmetry, surface, and pattern to construct drawings from everyday objects and sights familiar.
www.space538.org
207 828 5600
Venue Description: Presenting contemporary, emerging and unconventional arts, artists, and ideas.
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 12pm to 6pm
Directions: Located on Congress St. between L.L. Bean and the Maine College of Art

    SANCTUARY TATTOO AND ART GALLERY
31 Forest Avenue
Michael Monster and Adam Taylor
TWO THE HARD WAY
Mixed
This show offers a fabulous surprise of monsters, creatures, and childhood dreams gone wrong. Wrought from the hands of Portland's Adam Taylor and Biddeford's Michael Monster. Also, be on the look-out for a sneak attack of monster plush toys! Exhibit runs through June.
www.sanctuarytattoo.com
207 828 8866
Venue Description: The Sanctuary Tattoo Art Gallery was created as a venue to showcase the most interesting and challenging work available; both locally and nationally. Through out the year, we offer a wide variety of exhibits and artists whose work is not often found in traditional gallery settings.
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday; 11am - 7pm (usually) Open every First Friday until 9pm.
Directions: Sanctuary is located on Forest Ave., just a half block down from Congress Street, in the Portland Theater Company Building. (where ZOOTS used to be)