Charles Street at dusk:
Cross dressers in midriff tops dance to a Latin beat, their heels clicking on the cobblestones. Senior citizens, a block away, order hot dogs from a makeshift barbecue. And in the C. Grimaldis Gallery, art students in rumpled sweat shirts and jeans gaze at $10,000 paintings and sip free Sauvignon Blanc.
This can mean only one thing: It's First Thursday in Baltimore.
For the last 10 years, these quirky collisions of urban life have defined the monthly happy hour-cum-art openings along Charles Street. Merchants and gallery owners have extended their hours to showcase new wares; restaurants, offices and even hair salons have put on "art shows." All have hoped to remind people of a sometimes forgotten fact: There is life downtown after 5 p.m.
But First Thursdays haven't always had it easy. The dwindling local art scene, the whims of retail, a long recession, tipsy patrons and panhandlers have hurt these events at times, causing some guests and merchants to see them as win-lose propositions.
And yet amid controversy, they have survived -- as tonight will most likely attest -- evolving into such a social scene that some art lovers now avoid the crowded galleries on these nights, and ** some couples credit their marriages to chance encounters by a watercolor. "I've had people drop by and say, 'We met here six years ago at First Thursday. Now we're married and here are our two kids,'" says Steven Scott, owner of the namesake gallery in the 500 block.
Several doors away, Steve Appel, co-owner of Nouveau Contemporary Goods, a furniture and accessories shop, says: "It's anything-goes night. You can have a guy looking at a $2,000 couch, and college kids ripping through postcards."
For stockbroker Mark McGrath, who has attended the last six years, these nights reassure him about the quality of life in this town.
"Baltimore doesn't have a reputation for being in the know," says Mr. McGrath, 37, who lives in Mount Washington. "But on First Thursday, that corridor acquires a more cosmopolitan atmosphere. It shows there is an undercurrent here."
Helping lead the undercurrent is Billy Crush, a security guard for Louie's The Bookstore Cafe who oversees the entertainment on the parking lot next door.
Dressed in a top hat and tie-dyed T-shirt, Mr. Crush eyes the crowd listening to the acoustic band and drinking Rolling Rock. It's small but growing, and Mr. Crush -- whose nickname is the Mad Hatter -- likes what he sees.
"We get anybody from skinheads to bank presidents," says the sometime-actor who was cast as an extra in "Forrest Gump." "These groups would never come together if it weren't for nights like these."
His boss, Louie's owner Jimmy Rouse, believes there's a subtle but important message being delivered in First Thursdays.
"Our challenge is to reverse people's perceptions of downtown," he says. "We want to help them realize this is a safe and exciting place to be. First Thursday is part of that."
More than 10 years ago, merchants met with the then-Charles Street Management Corp. (now the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore) to brainstorm about ways to cooperatively market the area.
With the plethora of galleries, promoting art seemed a logical idea. And within two months, First Thursday was born.
On any given month, several hundred drop by between 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. During its prime in the mid-1980s, roughly 15 galleries were involved, says Laurie Schwartz, president of Downtown Partnership. And its worst days in 1991, as few as five merchants participated. At last count, 10 gallery spaces were involved tonight, though that count included office art exhibits and more distant locales like the Gomez Gallery in Federal Hill.
The early years
Several years ago, Ms. Schwartz tried discontinuing the event during the slower months of January, February and August but got so many complaints that she reconsidered.
"There were some years when we struggled during the recession, but I feel it's coming back to life," she says.
Artist Robert Floyd isn't so sure.
"It's completely different than it once was," he says. "There are fewer people involved. There's significantly fewer galleries. It's hit a small scale."
No one denies that the event has changed. But it's often been at the public's request.
Several years ago, Downtown Partnership conducted informal surveys and found that patrons often attended for social rather than cultural reasons. To meet those needs, organizers added bands, barbecue grills and dancing in recent years. Tonight, Rhumba Club is giving an outdoor concert and instructors will be offering dance lessons.
If imitation is a measure of success, then First Thursday organizers have reason to feel gratified.
Restaurants and galleries in Southwest Baltimore began organizing First Sundays about three years ago. And this winter Fells Point began a First Tuesday event. Other cities -- including Philadelphia and Portland -- have followed Baltimore's lead, organizing First Thursday-type events.
In other cities
In terms of success, Baltimore ranks somewhere between Norfolk and Portland.
Norfolk temporarily discontinued these celebrations because of logistical problems, while Portland now has some 60 galleries involved, shuttle service around the city and thousands of guests each month.
"It's a real circus," says William Jamison, owner of Jamison/Thomas Gallery in Portland. "You can feel the vitality."
Missing the mission
In Baltimore, detractors complain that the evenings have strayed too far from their original mission of promoting art.
Constantine Grimaldis, owner of C. Grimaldis Gallery, declined to comment on the event. He says he has held shows on the first Thursday of the month since opening in 1977. Although he participates, he occasionally offers invitation-only shows several days before First Thursdays.
Ginny Tomlinson, who closed Tomlinson Craft Collection on Charles Street two years ago, found First Thursdays expensive and frustrating.
"I used to want to jump up and down and say, 'Look at the exhibit,' she recalls. "I lost a lot of money doing them. Putting on an exhibition is a lot of work and expense: doing press releases, photographs, advertising, wine and cheese. . . . Then it would be embarrassing to have an artist come a long way, and no one
wanted to meet him. It was more of a place where people wanted to see and be seen."
While merchants generally say that sales are sluggish that night, many believe customers return and shop when stores are less frenzied. And at times, the nights can get too lively. At Nouveau, Mr. Appel often brings in extra staff to monitor the crowds, but there are still mishaps.
"We used to serve wine and cheese and fruit," he says. "But it became like a bar atmosphere. People would come in and have && three glasses.
"I have had to throw people out on First Thursday for pushing each other around. . . . I had a woman a few years ago who came in a little tipsy. She broke this $80 plate, and I made her pay for half. She was friendly, but she kept talking about calling her lawyer."
Bob Lienhardt, a retired art professor at Maryland Institute, College of Art, recalls running into a former student during a recent First Thursday.
"I was standing there, and some guy came up and said, 'I remember you. You gave me a D in 1972. I deserved a C,' " Mr. Lienhardt says.
"I turned and looked at him and said, 'You're lucky I passed you at all.' "
Chalk it up as another unexpected encounter on First Thursday.
"You sometimes feel like you're in this surreal dream," Mr. Appel says. "You roll with things, deal with them and watch everybody. Then you lock that door at 8:30 and go have a drink at Louie's."
FIRST THURSDAY
This list is a regular feature spotlighting the galleries and shops along the downtown Charles Street corridor on the first Thursday of each month. Galleries remain open until 7 p.m., some until 7:30 p.m.
Galleries
BB&Y; Gallery, 334 N. Charles St. Cartoon surrealism by Alexander Foley.
Craig Flinner Gallery, 505 N. Charles St. Antique French posters.
Steven Scott Gallery, 515 N. Charles St. New paintings by Raoul Middleman and new works by gallery artists.
C. Grimaldis Gallery, 523 N. Charles St. Recent bronzes by sculptor Anthony Caro.
Walters Art Gallery, 600 N. Charles St. Armenian illuminated manuscripts.
AIA Baltimore Gallery, 11 1/2 W. Chase St. In Gallery: Exhibits by 12 residential design groups. In Bookstore: Jewelry by Theresa Carson and photographs by Marigan O'Malley.
Maryland Institute, College of Art, Decker and Meyerhoff Galleries, 1300 W. Mount Royal Ave. Works in various media by 70 faculty members.
Cafe Metropol, 1713 N. Charles St. Paintings, etc., by Alix Tobey Southwick, Cynthia Fraula-Hahn and Gail Bach.
BICC Gallery, 17 Commerce St. 5th Floor. Oil paintings by Charles O'Donnell Macsherry.
Gomez Gallery, 836 Leadenhall St. Paintings by Martha Macks, Craig Cahoon and Gina Pierleoni.
Tucara Salon, 326 N. Charles St. in Brown's Arcade. Oils on fabric by Mia Halton.
Events
"Do the Rhumba" features an outdoor concert by the Rhumba Club, Latin dance demonstrations and a group dance lesson, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the parking lot next to Louie's The Bookstore Cafe, 518 N. Charles St., from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. 962-1224.
Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition featuring C. Grimaldis Gallery DTC artists Paul Daniel, John Ruppert and John van Alstine. Sculptures will be installed in the Ackerman and Company Skywalk Plaza, adjacent to Edgar's Billiards Club, at One East Pratt St.
Washington Monument, Mount Vernon Place will remain open until 7 p.m. with no admission charge. 244-1030.
Vanguard Cafe, 405 N. Charles St. Watercolors by Victoria Salvano. 837-6621.
Donna's Coffee Bar and Restaurant, 2 W. Madison St. Readings by 1994 winners of the Artscape Literary Arts Awards for Short Story and Poetry: Rafael Alvarez and Barbara Hurd, at 5:30 p.m. 385-0180.
Mount Vernon Museum of Incandescent Lighting, 717 Washington Place. Displays on the history of the light bulb. Open until 7 p.m. 752-8586.
Center Stage, 700 N. Calvert St. 8 p.m. "The Cherry Orchard." 332-0033.
Theatre Project, 45 W. Preston St. 8 p.m. "Beckettland," a collection of short plays by Samuel Beckett. 752-8558.
Baltimore Film Forum, at Baltimore Museum of Art, Charles and 31st streets. (410) 889-1993. "Rosebud Showcase: Maryland Winners 1994."