On the first Friday of each month (hence the name) art galleries, restaurants and other local businesses open their doors in support of local art. Please make Vintage21 a stop on your night out!

April 4

"artists from antfarm studios" By antfarm studios, Raleigh antfarm was born in 1993. Started by a group of N.C. State University design students, the artists secured and renovated a 1925 warehouse in Raleigh's historic Boylan Heights. Acting as a transitional space, more than 40 artists and craftspeople have occupied antfarm's 10 individual studios. antfarm is a diverse group currently working in a variety of media: metal, wood, clay, print, handmade books, paint, drawing, fiber and more. Members of antfarm utilize the talents and energies of each other to foster growth and further their education. For more information, visit antfarmstudios.org.

Breaking from the more traditional idea of what it means to be a gallery, Vintage 21 hopes to establish a venue for the public to explore the arts. We hope to do this in a variety of ways:

Whether we like it or not…

Common misconceptions about art are that we have to understand it and we have to like it. Realizing that all people have different preferences and styles of learning, we don’t expect that you’ll like it, or even that you’ll understand it. But we want you to be okay saying you don’t. Vintage 21 is a place to explore the arts and have an individual experience.

Do we have to be quiet?

Because art seems serious, traditional museums and galleries are often quiet. We regularly add music to our exhibition experiences and encourage visitors to talk among themselves or ask questions about the art. Vintage wants to create an open environment, full of dialogue and lively activity, where we can come together as a community to explore various art forms and find creativity in our own lives.

Can I take it home?

We want visitors to enjoy the art so much that they take it home. Because we do our best to support new and emerging artists in the community, we don’t charge a commission for showing their work in our space. This means that they pocket more money from the sale. For the consumer, this means prices are generally more affordable since there’s no overhead. We hope that through our continued partnerships with local and regional artists, we can continue to make the space accessible and affordable for all visitors.

What can I see and do?

Right now, Vintage 21 is primarily a visual arts space. We also program musical acts and refreshments on First Friday celebrations when we stay open late for the public. We hope that in the future, we can add additional arts programming to incorporate literary and performing arts, discussions and forums to bring the community together for the sake of creativity. We realize that art is everywhere and every day, and through our mission to inform, engage and inspire, we hope that our visitors realize that artful concepts exist in the most simple ideas, objects and places.

Current Schedule:

Requirements for Selection: One visual artist or group of visual artists will be shown each month, and the gallery will supplement the visual arts exhibits with readings, music and performing arts as is possible and feasible for the space and schedule.

Annual salon-style hangings will open the gallery to all area participants (limited to 3 works per artist).

March 7

“The Universe of Objects” By Stephanie Statham Witchger, Raleigh / On one level, Stephanie’s work deals with the exploration of line and attempting to manipulate it in a way that portrays the maximum amount of information about form while retaining an expressive quality. She works with the hope of creating something emotionally significant to someone else. Each work contains a story to be told softly and with enough subtleties to allow room for the unique interpretation of the viewer.