This month’s First Friday showed that Lancaster still has plenty of surprises in store, and that the city is still attracting talented people from around the region.

Garrett Faber at the Keppel Building

The show I absolutely had to get to was Garrett Faber’s show of photographs. It was on the fourth floor of the Keppel Building, little publicized, but amazing. The guy is a visionary. An extremely talented, incredibly humble visionary.

I arrived a little after six and he was still hanging photos with his friends. There were hundreds of them–digital photos printed then cut to look like Polaroids.

You know all those hipstamatic and instagram photos you wish people would stop sharing? Garrett Faber’s photos are the excellence those photos knock off.

Garret Faber photos Garret Faber photos

Garret Faber crows

I’ve been following Garrett online for years now, but this was the first time I had a chance to meet him and see his work in person. Seriously, this guy is an artist not to be missed.

Creative Reuse and Hodge Podgery at the Stahr Center

In the Stahr Center, I finally had the chance to peek in at Lancaster Creative Reuse. It wasn’t at all what I expected. Instead of chaotic piles of large objects, the shop is an intricately-organized presentation of highly useful arts and crafts supplies.

Creative Reuse arts and crafts supplies in Lancaster Creative Reuse shop

November 5th also marked the opening of a satellite location in the Stahr Center for the Harrisburg shop Hodge Podgery. They’re referring to the Lancaster shop as HoPoLanCo.

New Play Readings at the Fulton Clubhouse

The final highlight of my First Friday night out was a set of readings of four new plays by members of the Lancaster Dramatists’ Platform. It was the first time Creative Works of Lancaster (I guard their bank account, as treasurer) sponsored the event, which is held on a near-monthly basis. The plays were great, and it’s awesome to be a part of theater when it’s at this raw and early of a stage. The readings largely give the playwrights an opportunity to see how actors and audience respond to their new work, so they can make revisions.

A lot going on in Lancaster in the artistic underground!