First Friday physically and metaphorically leaps with Get Back Alley

By Mark Adams

Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012 | 6:22 p.m.

First Friday extends its reach even further this month, both physically and metaphorically. The alley behind Fremont East venues Beauty Bar and the Griffin becomes Get Back Alley, a “phantasmagorical arts hallway,” for the monthly event, with proceeds from art sales benefiting the nonprofit Push Forward.

The group is modeled after the Winchester Cultural Center’s Cultural Skateboarding Program: Adult skateboarders help enrich the lives of their younger counterparts through the arts and skateboard culture. The program’s founder, Hektor Esparza, even led a SoCal field trip last summer—to the Venice Beach Skate Park and a Tim Burton exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum.

“We’re aiming to expand and go across the county, and then the state and hopefully the country, forming more skate teams that are mentored by adult skaters,” Esparza says. And that’s where Get Back Alley comes into the picture. “Finding out it’s tough to write grants, it’s tough to secure them, I said, ‘Why don’t we use our own artistic skills to generate revenue for us?,’” Esparza explains.

Prints by the at-risk youth will be up for sale at the event, and professional artists have also donated work. The multifaceted exhibition includes performance-art demonstrations, live mural painting and live music.