Story by Zach Dunkin

Five years ago, Downtown artists and galleries were tripping over one another with exhibit openings nearly every Friday night.

Then, they got smart.

“We were competing for each other’s clientele,” said Mark Ruschman, 24-year-owner of Ruschman Gallery at 10th and Alabama streets, and a founding board member of the Indianapolis Downtown Artists & Dealers Association. “So, we came up with a plan to give the galleries and the artists as much exposure as possible, while making it as easy as possible for the public to see what they have to offer.”

Today, “First Friday” — the monthly, nighttime open house for more than 25 Downtown-area galleries and studio spaces — has become a brand for the city, Ruschman says. It means an evening of wine consumed from plastic cups, all the cheese and crackers you can eat, and a convivial collection of art appreciators in skinny jeans or corduroy blazers with elbow patches.

First Friday attendance tends to shrink in the winter months, but this time of year, cabin fever strikes, Ruschman said.

“Rain or shine, holiday or not, people know by now they can depend on any number of openings Downtown.”

Here are some highlights of this month’s shows:

Stop, look and listen

What it is: “Listen: A Sound and Video Experiment,” 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., Big Car Gallery, Murphy Building, 1043 Virginia Ave.

Why go: Don’t expect watercolors or works of clay. This “experiment” is about sight and sound, as a crew of local, regional and national video and sound artists assault your senses. The talent includes artists from the Herron School, and from the roster of co-sponsor Microcinema, a national supplier of “moving image arts.” Expect to hear sounds of everything from handsaws to cell phones. Jordan Munson, who teaches digital music at IUPUI, will use a Sony Wii to make music, and Butler University’s Ensemble 48 will play a soundtrack to a silent film.

Nearby eats: The shelBi street caFe & Bistro, 1105 Prospect Ave., is as quirky as its capitalization suggests. A contemporary winter menu features entrees like braised pork shank ($20) and saute of chicken breast Parisian ($17), plus unusual salads, sandwiches and gourmet pizzas ($10). Reservations: (317) 687-4857.

Cramping their style

What it is: “Refining Chaos: The Alchemy of Space,” 5 to 9 p.m. (opening reception), Stutz Art Space Gallery, 212 W. 10th St., B110.

Why go: Carol Myers, Kate Oberreich and Ginny Taylor Rosner are very close. Maybe too close. The three talents share the same 550 square feet of creative studio space at the Stutz, and show their results in the remaining 100-square-foot gallery space.

Oberreich says carving up the space saves them money and that their “schedules are often very different, and it actually is quite rare that we are all there at the same time.”

The threesome is among the dozens of artists who will have their studios open at Stutz, but visitors to “Chaos” will get a one-stop, triple-treat of watercolors, mixed media and photos.

Nearby eats: Where else in town but Euphoria, 337 W. 11th St., can you find suckling pig shepherd’s pie ($24), rack of lamb ($39), one-side seared beef ($38) and a pomegranate barbecue quail appetizer ($12) on the same menu? Reservations: (317) 955-2389.

Presidential approval

What is it: “Mind the Gap,” Harrison Center for the Arts, 1505 N. Delaware St., noon with an opening reception from 6 to 10 p.m.

Why go: With President Barrack Obama’s recent focus on closing the education achievement gap between black and white students, Harrison executive director Joanna Taft’s timing couldn’t be better. Five Herron School of Art faculty members will show work created to address the gap.

For example, Flounder Lee used Google Earth maps, a GPS and photographs to create photographic mappings on rag paper illustrating the IPS borders with the surrounding township school systems. His point? The important role boundaries play in the kind of education one receives.

Nearby eats: They dim the lights and light the fireplace at elegantly furnished The Villa Inn Restaurant, 1456 N. Delaware St. Entrees range from the $16 spaghetti and meatballs to the $28 bacon-wrapped Black Angus filet, and in between you’ll discover some scrumptious chicken and seafood. Reservations: (317) 916-9086.

Scratching the surface

What is it: “International Scratchboard Show,” 5 to 9.p.m. (opening reception), Dean Johnson Gallery, 646 Massachusetts Ave.

Why go: If you’ve ever drawn a picture in the sand with a stick, then you’ve experimented with the basic technique of scratchboard art — scratching away the surface to leave an image. Scratchboard artists use sharp knives and tools to etch onto a thin layer of a white or multi-colored clay paperboard surface that is coated with black India ink. The pressure exerted on the instrument scratches away the black to create a detailed and precise drawing. “Some of them are so detailed they look like photographs,” said gallery owner Scott Johnson.

About 100 different artists from all over the world will show their work.

Nearby eats: If you haven’t checked out S.I. (formerly Scholar’s Inn), 725 Massachusetts Ave., since last spring’s remodel, now might be the time to do it. (Service is until 10.p.m., but the ultra-cool lounge is open later and serves half-price signature martinis.) French-trained chef Jake Brenchley, of the original Scholar’s in Bloomington, has created two menus — one for the main restaurant and one for the lounge with entrees starting at $14. Reservations: (317) 536-0707.

Highpoint for lowbrow

What is it: “Hi-Pop — Drawings and paintings by James Ratliff and William Denton Ray,” 6 to 9 p.m. (opening reception), Wug Laku’s Studio & Garage, 1125 Brookside Ave., C7.

Why go: Ratliff and Ray work for design firms by day, and they have been steadily working to shed the lessons they were taught in art school. They want to return to a semblance of what drew them to art in the first place. For Ratliff, 27, that means faces with beards and octopus legs, and characters that are more creatures than people. For Ray, 34, that means color, color and more color, and faces, faces and more faces. Gallery owner Wug Laku described the show as “a mash-up of pop culture and fine art.”

Nearby eats: At 888 Massachusetts Ave., hit R Bistro, which looks more like an art gallery than a restaurant. It might be a little highbrow for Wug devotees, but you can get a cheeseburger — with red slaw and grilled pineapple — for $18.95. Or maybe just dessert (maple hazelnut pie or Fleur de la Terre cheese with glazed grapes and biscuits) and coffee. Reservations: (317) 423-0312.

First Friday

When: 6 to 9 p.m. today.

Where: 25 Downtown art venues.

Cost: Free admission.

Info: For participating galleries/studios, visit www.idada.org or (317) 332-5612.