Greta Bell, glass blowing, and book-wrecking at First Fridays Nov. 6

Greta Bell is the cover artist for this season's Paramount Theatre brochures, and she will be at First Fridays in Downtown Aurora on Nov. 6.

The Batavia resident frequently paints iconic Aurora imagery; her colorful and skewed paintings of the Paramount, SciTech, and Aurora Regional Fire Museum are easily recognizable as Bell's signature style.

For her first solo show at the Paramount opening at November's First Fridays, Bell is reaching beyond her local milieu. In "Explorations," Bell debuts large landscapes which have never been publicly displayed, explorations in dry point, depictions of common everyday objects, and more.

First Fridays, a night of art, music, and culture in downtown Aurora, also welcomes Mausoleum Gallery to the Nov. 6 lineup. The gallery at 213 S. River St. will have live glass blowing and glass art on display.

If patrons want to get hands on at First Fridays, Culture Stock is hosting a book-wrecking collage workshop from 6 to 9 p.m. You will cut up old books and make a collage to take home. Materials will be supplied.

Pick up a free First Fridays passport at any venue for a full map of participating venues. Return the punched passport at the last venue visited for a chance to win a First Fridays goody bag.

In November, the following venues are open for First Fridays.

Aurora Regional Fire Museum, 53 N. Broadway, opens "Teamwork Brotherhood" from 6 to 9 p.m. on the second floor. The show highlights nearly two dozen retired Aurora firefighters.

Gillerson's Grubbery, 33 W. New York St., is celebrating their official grand opening with a ribbon cutting at 5:30 p.m.

Yetee Gallery, 110 Cross St., opens "Black Light Poster Madness," featuring art that pops under black lights from 6 to 11 p.m. Local band Saint Astro performs at 7:30 p.m.

Mausoleum Gallery, 213 S. River St., is open with art, glass blowing, music, and hundreds of glass pieces on display until 10 p.m.

Paramount Theatre's Grand Gallery, 23 E. Galena Blvd., opens a solo show featuring Batavia artist Greta Bell from 7 to 9 p.m.

David L. Pierce Art and History Center, 20 E. Downer Place, offers three floors of continuing exhibits. Aurora Public Art Commission hosts "Faces Among Found Objects" on the third floor and a special mural exhibit on the first floor. Aurora Historical Society presents "Aurora Story" on the second floor. Museum Store is open 6 to 9 p.m.

Emergent at Metropolitan Co-Working, a pop-up gallery at 14 W. Downer Place, Suite 16, shows the works of Bakersfield, Calif., artist Terry Tripp from 6 to 10 p.m.

HealthMarkets, 40 W. Downer Place, is open with photography by Bob Lockwood from 5 to 8 p.m.

Michael Edward Smith Photography, 61 S. Stolp Ave., is celebrating one year downtown with giveaways, refreshments, and $20 head shots from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

If These Walls Could Talk, 32 S. Stolp Ave., opens "Branching Out," a multi-artist exhibit focusing on the natural majesty of trees, featuring artists Dora Fox, Samantha Tekiela, and Eric Dinse, from 7 to 11 p.m.

AKA Dance, 14 W. Downer Place, Suite 10, will serve hot cocoa and showcase Christmas dances from "A Christmas to Remember," an upcoming show at Rosary High School from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Culture Stock, 43 E. Galena Blvd., welcomes patrons to join in the fun of wrecking books while making colorful and artistic collages. Books are provided. The used bookstore also hosts open mic on First Fridays from 6 to 9 p.m.

The ArtBar at Two Brothers Roundhouse, 205 N. Broadway, features a pop-up art show themed "The #Selfie Show," artwork inspired by the popular amateur photography of oneself taken by oneself from 6 p.m. to midnight.

River's Edge Cafe, 14 W. Downer Place, is open from 6 to 10 p.m. with food, art, and music.

SciTech Hands-on Museum, 18 W. Benton St., is open with free admission plus "Fall Into the Rhythm" open mic for ages 6 and up, and the SciTech Academy Art Show from 6 to 8 p.m.

Free trolley service runs throughout downtown from 7 to 10 p.m.

First Fridays in Downtown Aurora invites the community to enjoy art, music, food, theater, and more on the first Friday of the month.

All events are free and art is for sale. For more information, a list of First Fridays specials at participating businesses, and for a map of venues, visit www.auroradowntown.com.