First Friday is fabulous.
Most everyone, whether or not they're part of the local art community, agrees on that.
What's not to like about an evening traipsing around downtown Lancaster galleries to check out new works and socialize a bit?
But what if the gallery-going experience could be more instructive and in-depth, especially for the serious art lover?
That question was raised when Elizabeth Todd Lambert of LancasterARTS was having lunch with Joanne Angelo of Gallery dePaul.
The two talked about how successful the monthly First Friday is at bringing people downtown, but "we thought it would be nice to have something different from that where we're targeting people with more than a casual interest in art," recalls Lambert, LancasterARTS president and CEO.
The question, says Lambert, became, "What could we do to really target this narrower audience?"
Most galleries are open on Saturdays, so why not bring in artists for a special program?
From that conversation, the first-ever Artists' Saturday — happening this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — was born.
There are 23 venues, on Gallery Row and beyond, that are participating. Almost all will have artists on site (32 in all) to give gallery talks, demonstrate and chat with art lovers.
Five locations will have more formal demonstrations. These include: City Folk, Marc Daniels, oil on canvas; Eggs-Actly Right Gifts, Tom Babec, egg carving; Framing Concept, Debi Watson, watercolors; and Lancaster Galleries, plein-aire painter George Sorrels and his "color as space" process.
The Keystone Art & Culture Center is the fifth location. However, due to time constraints in completing a bronze statue of Thaddeus Stevens in time for a 216th birthday celebration for the Lancaster abolitionist, that program won't include events originally scheduled, according to executive director George K. Mummert.
"We're just going to be working on the sculpture, plain and simple," says Mummert.
Depending up on the workers' progress, it is possible that the bronze for the statue will be poured on Saturday, but there are no guarantees, Mummert says.
There will, however, be someone on hand to show visitors around the facility.
On a typical tour, most visitors "just can't believe that this much work goes into a bronze sculpture, or any sculpture for that matter," says Mummert, referring to the making of rubber and ceramic molds.
In addition to the five demonstration locations, people can visit an Artist Zoo at the Parlor Art Space and watch artists at work in their "natural habitat." (See sidebar.)
Lancaster Galleries owner Joyce Heberlein is excited about Artists' Saturday.
While First Friday is a great opportunity to see what shows are out there, "this gives you an opportunity to come back and revisit and learn about the ones you want to know more about or get more deeply involved in," she says.
"There's always a little bit something special about being able to talk directly to the artist," she adds. It can create a better understanding of or appreciation for a particular piece.
"Sometimes viewing a painting can be a little bit uncomfortable or you're not sure you're understanding what the artist is talking about."
Depending on the turnout for this initial event, LancasterARTS may hold Artists' Saturday three or four times a year.
"We wouldn't want to wear it out," says Lambert.
For a detailed program, visit
www.lancasterarts.com.
Artist SaturdaySat. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. FreeDowntown Lancasterwww.lancasterarts.com509-2787 
