After much discussion and a trial run last month, more than a dozen Rochester art galleries are coming together to launch the First Friday art event on November 2. The goal is to create a citywide "gallery hop" atmosphere. Art spaces have committed to being open for extended hours on at least 10 of the 12 first Fridays of the month throughout the year.

Participating venues for November's First Friday include Baobab Cultural Center, Booksmart Studios, Cascade Art Center, Center at High Falls, Crocus Clay Works, Gallery at the Art and Music Library at University of Rochester, Gallery R, Image City Photography Gallery, More Fire Glass Studio, The Nightgallery @ Conde Photography, Renaissance Art Gallery, Richard Aerni Ceramic Design, and Rochester Contemporary Art Center.

Bleu Cease, executive director at Rochester Contemporary, says that the idea is taking off and that other venues are considering joining in the program. "It's a nice collaboration between business and art venues," he says. "We have a few store owners related to the arts, involved in the arts, and they're committed to making this happen, because we all benefit from more bodies going between these venues."

Since the venues are spread out across the city, two shuttle buses will be available to take participants from gallery to gallery: one leaves from RoCo, 137 East Avenue, and the other from the University of Rochester library. Buses leave at 6 p.m.

Speaking of buses, Cease says that RoCo's Art Bus program that ran between Rochester and Syracuse on October 5 was a success. Thirty people came from Syracuse to check out Rochester's galleries for the First Friday dry run, while 40 Rochesterians traveled to Syracuse to check out its art scene. Cease expects the program to continue on a quarterly basis.

More information on First Friday and its participating venues can be found here.