First Fridays: A Recap!

First Fridays: A Recap!

by | Dec 19, 2025 | First Friday, Holiday

One of our favorite programs we participate in is the First Fridays of the Valley here in Harrisonburg. This year-round program works with local businesses in the Downtown Harrisonburg area, to provide space for local artists of all types, ages, and experience levels to show off their hard work. Part of our mission here at Gaines Group Architects is to help our community become stronger and more vibrant. Supporting local art is such a great way to help us achieve this mission! 2025 has been a great year and we hosted artists here at The Depot every month from March to December. You can find photos, info about the artists and take a look at just some of the art we got to host below! We look forward to seeing what next year brings, and stay tuned! 2026 is going to be extra special!

We are so grateful we got to host so many wonderful artists this year! Click each one of their photos below to learn more about them and follow along on their future works!

In December, our First Friday looks just a little different. We get to host not only a primary artist, as well as other artists who join us for one day only! This year, our primary artist was Lauren Henderson (her beautiful art is on display here at The Depot through the end of the year, so be sure to stop by before time runs out!)

We also use this First Friday to have a building-wide holiday celebration with a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, live music from talented musicians from Red Wing Academy, and delicious refreshments gratefully provided by our in-house neighbors Herr & Co, and R.S. Monger & Sons. Its so special to see everyone come together during this time of year!

Take a look at the gallery below for a few pictures from our December First Friday! 

December First Fridays and Holiday Party at the Depot!

December First Fridays and Holiday Party at the Depot!

by | Nov 24, 2025 | First Friday, Holiday

SANTA IS COMING TO THE DEPOT!!!!

Join us for First Fridays Harrisonburg in December at the Depot on December 5th from 5-7 PM! We will be hosting multiple artists, live music, and Santa for a First Friday Holiday Party that you will not want to miss!

Our featured artist for the month of December is Lauren Henderson!

Series Name: Subjective Beauty
Medium: Mixed Media

Artist Statement: This series focuses on native and invasive insects found in Virginia. All insects are visually represented in neither a positive or negative light, and the written counterparts establish each one as either native or invasive.

Artist Bio: Lauren is a studio art major at Bridgewater College. She is primarily a photographer working in wildlife conservation outreach, but experiments with different traditional media such as pen & ink and pastels.

We will also be featuring work from a few other artists, craft vendors, and live music from the talented students at Red Wing Academy!

Rosie Clark

Medium: Ceramics
Artist Bio and Statement:

Rosie is an art and communications student interested in painting and news writing. She takes inspiration from the human form, nature, and abstraction. In this series, she blends ideas of beauty and repulsion by using compelling color and surface design with grotesque, figurative form.

Moriah Asbridge

Medium: Graphite Drawings
Artist Bio and Statement:

Moriah Asbridge, born and raised in Fort Valley Virginia, moved to Harrisonburg in 2024. After graduating High School in 2018, she has pursued self-employment in several different areas, but art has remained a quiet past-time. Drawn by the amazing intricacies of what she believes is God’s design, she aims to capture precious moments, quirky personalities, and favorite memories. Though having dabbled in landscape painting, painting nature in water-colors, and sketching all subjects in colored-pencil, Moriah’s main medium is graphite, and though pets are a close second, her main subject is people.
“Little Beginnings” is an exhibition displaying just a few portrait sketches of children whom Moriah has had the pleasure of teaching in one form or another. She grew right alongside these little ones, as they impacted her greatly!

Red Wing Academy

The Academy’s mission is to nurture both the wings and the roots of the newest generation of old time musicians. We provide emerging, student musicians with the skills, talents, and community to go beyond classical training into the culture of improvisational performance and group play, the hallmark of a genre that has always celebrated spontaneity and place as part of its sound and tradition. We are so excited they will be joining us again this year!

Even Santa himself will be joining us!

Don’t miss out on our final First Friday of the year! It will be filled with holiday cheer, celebration, togetherness, and of course refreshments!

*Accessibility Note: This building was previously restored from a fire. The elevator shaft is currently not functioning and there is an absence of ramps in the space. Because the show is on the 2nd floor, this may pose an issue for those who have mobility challenges. We are aware of this need and we apologize greatly if this changes your ability to attend.

This event is free and open to everyone. Snacks and refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there!

Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show anytime and get a tour the Depot!

November First Fridays At The Depot Featuring Bruce Stambaugh!

November First Fridays At The Depot Featuring Bruce Stambaugh!

by | Oct 22, 2025 | First Friday

Join us for First Fridays Harrisonburg in November at the Depot on November 7th from 5-7 PM! We will be featuring Bruce Stambaugh and his exhibition “Valley Moments”

As always, this event is free and open to everyone, and refreshments will be provided by Gaines Group Architects.
Series Name: Valley Moments
Medium: Photography
Artist Statement: “Photography is about capturing moments in time. There are countless photo-worthy moments to capture in the Shenandoah Valley. A wintry reflection on Silver Lake. A classic steam engine chugging along the tracks. The moment an Old Order Mennonite pony cart passes by at sunset. Catching an airliner and a crescent moon. Those are just a few of the Valley Moments Bruce has captured.”

Artist Bio:  Bruce Stambaugh (He/Him)

Bruce captures his hobbies with his cameras. He enjoys writing, hiking, bird-watching, traveling, and spending time with his family. He and his wife, both Ohio natives, moved to the Harrisonburg area in 2017 to be close to three of their four grandchildren and their parents.

Bruce has been a teacher, an elementary principal, a volunteer firefighter, an EMT, and a township trustee in Ohio. He also wrote a newspaper column and still authors a weather column for Farming Magazine. In his retirement, he enjoys sharing the world through his stories and photography on his blog at www.brucestambaugh.com.

Bruce’s photos range from birds, butterflies, flowers, wildlife, trains, planes, landscapes, sunrises, and sunsets. He photographs whatever he sees in the moment.

*Accessibility Note: This building was previously restored from a fire. The elevator shaft is currently not functioning and there is an absence of ramps in the space. Because the show is on the 2nd floor, this may pose an issue for those who have mobility challenges. We are aware of this need and we apologize greatly if this changes your ability to attend.

This event is free and open to everyone. Snacks and refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there!

Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show anytime and get a tour the Depot!

October First Fridays At The Depot Featuring Susan Patrick!

October First Fridays At The Depot Featuring Susan Patrick!

by | Sep 19, 2025 | First Friday

Join us for First Fridays Harrisonburg in October at the Depot on October 3rd from 5-7 PM! We will be featuring Susan Patrick and her exhibition “Intersections”

First Fridays at the Depot with Susan Patrick
As always, this event is free and open to everyone, and refreshments will be provided by Gaines Group Architects.
Series Name: Intersections
Medium: Acrylic Paint
Artist Statement: “My drawings and paintings are made from direct observations of objects and places seen, but not looked at and not explored. I abstract by pushing and pulling on spaces and animating lines and shapes that are still and quiet in the real world.”

Artist Bio:  Susan Patrick (She/Her)

Susan Patrick was born in California and spent her childhood traveling with her father, a U.S. Naval officer, her mother, a lover of all arts, and two siblings. She graduated from college in Harrisonburg, Virginia, majoring in art with a certification to teach art and later attended graduate school, receiving an M.A. in painting. After teaching elementary and secondary art in Virginia public schools for 34 years, as well as at the Senior Center, and Village School, a private middle school, Susan resides in Charlottesville, Virginia and currently teaches art privately.

Much of her time is spent in the studio where she paints reactions to personal and societal events. She is an Associate member of McGuffey Art Center. She has taken on the job of curating and hanging Associate shows monthly. Susan has exhibited widely throughout the state in group and one person shows. She received a residential fellowship at Virginia Center of Creative Arts. Her work has been purchased by private collectors as well as Capital One, The University of Virginia Health System, and the Haven.

In 2016, Susan conceived and carried out, with the assistance of the International Rescue Committee, the World Art Exhibit in Charlottesville. Over fifty refugees and immigrants drew from their memories of their home countries. Their work was hung and viewed at local churches, the downtown library, galleries, and government spaces. It came down for the last time in 2018.

*Accessibility Note: This building was previously restored from a fire. The elevator shaft is currently not functioning and there is an absence of ramps in the space. Because the show is on the 2nd floor, this may pose an issue for those who have mobility challenges. We are aware of this need and we apologize greatly if this changes your ability to attend.

This event is free and open to everyone. Snacks and refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there!

Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show anytime and get a tour the Depot!

September First Fridays At The Depot Featuring J. Brooke Chao!

September First Fridays At The Depot Featuring J. Brooke Chao!

by | Aug 13, 2025 | artwork, community, First Friday

Join us for First Fridays Harrisonburg in September at the Depot on September 5th from 5-7 PM! We will be featuring J. Brooke Chao and her exhibition “Everyday Beauty”

J. Brooke Chao
As always, this event is free and open to everyone, and refreshments will be provided by Gaines Group Architects.
Series Name: Everyday Beauty
Medium: Mixed Media Acrylic and Watercolor
Artist Statement: “The goodness and beauty of God’s creation is evident all around us: the way that light spills across a doorway, the beauty of unique people, the gossamer wings of an insect, the intricate patterns of plants and flowers, or the brilliant colors of a sunset. God has
also generously bestowed upon us the ability to participate in his creative work both through care of his creation as well as through artistic endeavors like music, poetry, dance and visual arts. My art is my attempt to connect to this creative spirit and the beauty I see all around
me. It also is a way to for me explore and process the complex range of experiences and emotions that are part of being humans created in God’s image.”

Artist Bio:  J. Brooke Chao (She/Her) is an artist and graphic designer local to the Harrisonburg area. Brooke’s primary mediums are acrylic and watercolor, although she enjoys creating across a wide variety of mediums and styles including photography, sculpture, wood folk art and mixed media. Brooke is largely self-taught but strives to challenge herself to try new techniques and to learn from artists who have a greater breadth of knowledge, experience and mastery in their mediums. When she is not creating art, she enjoys refurbishing furniture, gardening and enjoying the downtown area with her family.
*Accessibility Note: This building was previously restored from a fire. The elevator shaft is currently not functioning and there is an absence of ramps in the space. Because the show is on the 2nd floor, this may pose an issue for those who have mobility challenges. We are aware of this need and we apologize greatly if this changes your ability to attend.

This event is free and open to everyone. Snacks and refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there!

Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show anytime and get a tour the Depot!

August First Friday at the Depot featuring Derrick Chirinos!!

August First Friday at the Depot featuring Derrick Chirinos!!

by | Jul 17, 2025 | artwork, citizen architect, First Friday, Harrisonburg Architect, Office Culture

Join us for First Friday Harrisonburg in August at the Depot on Friday, August 1st from 5pm – 7pm for the Exhibition “ICONS” by artist Derrick Chirinos!!

Derrick Chirino

As always, this event is free and open to everyone, and refreshments will be provided by Gaines Group Architects.
Series Name: Icons
Medium: Photography, Digital and Film
Artist Statement: In Icons, Derrick Chirinos swaps out live subjects for mannequin heads to capture the small, everyday moments we often take for granted. These silent figures live out ordinary routines: sipping coffee, taking a stroll, laughing with friends. Each scene becomes a time capsule, a reminder that our time on Earth is brief. As our planet’s protections waver and tomorrow feels more uncertain, these photographs stand as proof that at one point: we moved, laughed, and lived freely.

Artist Bio: Derrick Chirinos (He/Him), is a photographer and filmmaker local to the Harrisonburg area who sometimes attempts to control the chaos in his process and other times lets the art come to life on its own terms. Since expanding his skillset to processing and physically altering film to convey a moment in time, Derrick not only unlocked what he thought was possible in art but hopes to inspire others to think outside the image as well. Since 2019, he has exhibited in Brooklyn, NY, JMU, and at his alma mater Eastern Mennonite University.
*Accessibility Note: This building was previously restored from a fire. The elevator shaft is currently not functioning and there is an absence of ramps in the space. Because the show is on the 2nd floor, this may pose an issue for those who have mobility challenges. We are aware of this need and we apologize greatly if this changes your ability to attend.

This event is free and open to everyone. Snacks and refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there!

Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show anytime and get a tour the Depot!