The Oxford Arts Alliance will return to First Friday exhibition openings in the New Year. The Oxford Arts Alliance is a non-profit arts organization that strives to cultivate community through the arts. First Fridays in Oxford have grown substantially popular over the last few years, thanks to the hard work and dedication of Oxford Mainstreet Inc. 

First Fridays bring together hundreds of people from the region into the heart of Downtown Oxford for a street fair with vendors, music, and booming business activity. The Oxford Arts Alliance, which once had exhibition opening receptions on the third Friday of each month, has decided to return to debuting exhibitions on First Fridays due to the popularity of the town event. The Oxford Arts Alliance is located at 38 S. Third St. in Oxford.

The first exhibition of the new year will be, "Oh, the Places You'll Go!” This is a solo exhibition by Jayne Bourke. Known predominantly for beautiful landscapes and plein air paintings infused with light and color, Jayne's work reflects the joy of the land, sea, and interesting people around her. Her work often appears in regional exhibits and competitions throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, the United States, and internationally, winning awards and recognition for her distinctive style and subjects. 

The opening reception will be from 5 pm to 8 pm on First Friday, January 7, 2022. The last day to view the exhibition will be January 28, 2022. The opening reception welcomes the public, collectors and art enthusiasts and is free of charge.

Visitors to the opening reception on Jan. 7 and those who come to enjoy the show through Jan. 28 will also have the exciting opportunity to win a surprise, original painting by Bourke created especially for the show.  She hopes that raffle entries and “Donate What You Will” contributions will encourage visitors to help support the Oxford Arts Alliance recover some of its lost revenue from the pandemic, with 100 percent of all raffle donations will go directly to the Oxford Arts Alliance. The surprise painting Jayne has created for this drawing is a framed, original piece that is representative of an iconic and familiar area location. The random drawing will be held on January 29, 2022. 

In addition, The Oxford Arts Alliance has an open call for photography artists in the regional area to respond to our theme of "Outside-the-Box." This exhibition will not be juried. Artists should respond to the call with photography outside of or beyond what is considered usual, traditional, or conventional. The "box" in question represents the limits of what is usually thought or done. Photography can be taken traditionally or digitally manipulated using computer software. In-person drop-off only: Saturday, January 29, 10 to 2 p.m., or Tuesday, Feb. 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information, visit https://www.oxfordart.org/call-for-artists. For inquiries, contact Caitlin Daugherty at [email protected] or call 610-467-0301.