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Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley, PA., December 2, 2024 – It’s almost time to say goodbye to the Banana Factory building and, while the building is going away, programming will continue thanks to the generosity of so many of our community partners. ArtsQuest will be hosting the last First Friday at the Banana Factory this Friday, December 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. This monthly community event is a celebration of the SouthSide District’s art, culture and food. The ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks will host First Fridays during the construction period of the new Cultural Center.
“As we prepare to bid farewell to the current Banana Factory, we are excited to host a final First Friday celebration in the current building,” says ArtsQuest Sr. Director of Visual Arts and Education, Lisa Harms. “This event gives the community an opportunity to support local artists and learn about their work. We also look forward to future First Fridays in the new Cultural Center with more space and improved facilities for artists.”
We have exciting activities planned for the last First Friday in the Banana Factory building, including:
- Digital Classroom-Launching of the Teen Takeover Podcast at 6:30 p.m. with a Q&A with students to follow
- Students who took the Teen DIY Intensive Podcast Course learn how to craft, present, record and share their own unique podcast stories and commentary from the team behind the Cold Case Mysteries Podcast Series of the Lehigh Valley. From brainstorming ideas and writing to mastering the art of traditional and social media promotion and technical engineering.
- Exhibitions feature work from local and regional artists:
- Compendium
- ArtsQuest’s 8th annual Compendium juried exhibition features artists living within the Lehigh Valley where we ask the artist to become the subject! This year’s exhibition will feature a wide range of styles and mediums celebrating the art of the self-portrait.
- Bananarama
- ArtsQuest invited community members and artists to submit their best banana-themes artworks for a whimsical and entertaining exhibition to celebrate over two decades of programming at the Banana Factory Arts Center.
- Compendium
- Open Artist Studios
- Glassblowing Demonstrations
- Live Music
- Studio 102 – ArtSmart Exhibition
- ArtSmart is an afterschool enrichment program that exposes more than 500 middle and elementary school students annually to visual arts! Come see the ArtSmart Exhibition and support the students at Bethlehem Area School District.
- Visual Arts Classroom – Artmaking w/ TA- Allison MacKenzie
- MacKenzie has been creating art for more than 25 years, focusing on jewelry techniques for the past 15 years. She received her BFA from Montclair State University, NJ in Life Drawing and her MFA from Vermont College, VT in mixed media.
- Studio 250
- Artmaking w/ TA- Monica Salazar with Donegan Elementary School families
- Salazar moved to the USA from Ecuador twelve years ago to pursue her career in art and has never looked back. She now lives in Allentown, PA where she is currently working and collaborating with fellows at The Alternative Gallery. She attended Temple University graduating in 2015 and has done mostly freelance and private work in the time since.
- Display of artwork from the Family Art Workshop Series
- Artmaking w/ TA- Monica Salazar with Donegan Elementary School families
About ArtsQuest
ArtsQuest’s mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities. ArtsQuest™ supports this mission via the presentation of performing and visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest; the Banana Factory Arts Center; and the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest’s programming reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. The organization’s programs and events, of which nearly 50% are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region.
Information provided to TVL by:
Bryn E. Keeney
