Nightmare on Wood Street

First Friday, one of the most infamous events in the lives of Philadelphia art students, came and passed as always with herds of gallery-goers migrating toward the Old City district. I would have been one of those students, but this time around, I had another destination: 11th and Wood Street, home of the Compound Warehaus, Vox Populi and Copy Galleries (among others).

Why should a diligent art student like myself stray so far away from the crisp, professional Old City galleries on First Friday of all nights? Initially, it was just because my friend Angel had a print in a show that was opening at Compound Warehaus's "Nightmare on Wood Street" show, a group exhibition of wild and wacky prints and mixed media art. 

The space was remarkably casual with bearded and flannel-clad hipsters wandering about eating pretzels, drinking beer and petting the pooch that quietly sat in a corner of the gallery politely greeting guests. Angel's piece was hilarious, as always, and the work all put together formed a visual feast, almost a room-sized collage. 

After peaking in there, I figured I might as well head upstairs to Vox and Copy. Vox was a slick display of ultra-cutting edge mixed media, performance and photographic (term used loosely) works. Copy expanded on this room-collage idea by filling its entire space with kitsch collections, including a collection of old flyers tossed on the floor. 

The atmosphere was much more casual than Old City, and the crowds were definitely more agreeable, giving us time to actually look at the work, of all things. I must say, I don't know if I'm going back to Old City  for very many more First Fridays.