Christmas is over, and you’ve been cooped up with relatives, or maybe your family is still in town and you need something for them to do. You’ve watched all the movies, solved all the crosswords and doom-scrolled about the incoming Trump 2.0 administration. 

Push back on impending fascism, bundle up and take in some music, art and community at the First Friday ArtWalk, Jan. 3 downtown. 

Presented by Lane Arts Council, 2025’s First Friday ArtWalk is sponsored by Eugene Opera, staging Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto in the original Italian with English subtitles Jan. 31 and Feb 2. at the Hult Center. And best of all, after all that Christmas spending, the walk is  free, and after navigating all those shopping crowds, self-guided.  

The January ArtWalk begins with music. Catch Amor Fati, a Eugene indie pop duo that compares itself to Tori Amos, Feist and The Pretenders, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at the Farmers Market Pavilion. The band features Lee Takasugi, formerly of the Los Angeles band Visiting Violette. 

While at the Pavilion, browse the Artist Marketplace and pick up a guide to other ArtWalk stops, but before leaving, check out Woman Working in the Field, a Hampton Rodriguez and Sofia Carpenter-Rodriguez collaboration exploring what life is like for migrant workers, and the important role they play in our economy. Rodriguez is a Portland artist and Carpenter-Rodriguez is a University of Oregon student studying political science and sociology.

There is a lot to see at the Jan. 3 ArtWalk —  too much to mention here — but, from the Market Pavilion, we recommend Eugene artist Lisa McElroy’s alcohol-ink art inspired by Pacific Northwest landscapes on display at ColdFire Brewing at 263 Mill Street, grabbing a ColdFire beer just a bonus. 

Eugene artist Gloria Udosenata’s intuitive painting and reflective art pieces challenge you to see the world in new ways. Udosenata’s work is on display at PLAY, 252 West 5th Avenue. 

After that, warm up with a drink in the lobby at Sparrow Nest Coffee, 132 East Broadway. While there, check out Eugene artist Levi Whittier’s scratchboards to prints and 3D renderings. 

At Epic Seconds’ One Wall Gallery, upstairs are paintings from Lesley Raeside and Frederic Dumoulin. Raeside is a Scottish artist whose work — exploring shape, light and color — recalls Rothko’s transcendence. Meanwhile, Dumoulin is a Belgian artist who evokes mood and landscape through an impressionistic but modern lens. Raeside and Dumoulin are not to be missed.

Again, there are many more stops on the Jan. 3 First Friday ArtWalk, so be sure to pick up a guide and see them all. 

For more visual arts, on Saturday, at The O’Brien Photo Gallery, there’s an installation of Michael Strain iPhone photographs entitled, Agua — Water Infrastructure — Oaxaca, Chiapas, Guanajuato, Yucatán and Guatemala. 

Journalistic in nature, Strain’s work examines the importance of clean drinking water infrastructure in Central and South America. The pictures hang at O’Brien through Feb. 27, and there’s an artist reception Saturday, Jan. 4, between 1 pm and 4 pm at O’Brien, 2833 Willamette Street, Ste. B.