More than 80 years ago, trolleys cruised the cobblestone streets of downtown Grand Rapids, and the red streetcars will make a comeback for Art.Downtown. 2011 on Friday.

The one-night event runs from 6 to 11 p.m. and will feature local artist galleries at some of the city’s most prominent art hotspots, including the Grand Rapids Art Museum and the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts. There is no cost to ride the trolleys, and most venues are free and open to the public.

Admission to the GRAM is $1 when you show an Art.Downtown., map, which is available for download on the event’s website, www.artdowntowngr.com.

Sixty event volunteers will also distribute maps at the trolley stops and at the 29 venues on Friday night.

Art.Downtown. coordinator Jenn Schaub said she expects the event to draw a crowd of more than 3,000 in its third year.

“Hopefully (Art.Downtown.) brings us together and shows us how broad the fine arts community is,” she said. “Artists will be able to connect, share ideas and see what they can do when they come together.”

With more than 250 local artists displaying their work on Friday, Schaub said art enthusiasts will not be able to see everything in one night.

“I attended Art.Downtown last year and couldn’t spend enough time there,” said GVSU film and video student Ryan Gajewski. “In the end, I had to skip a few venues because there was just so much to see.”

This year’s event represents one of the last chances to visit the UICA before it moves from Sheldon Boulevard to the intersection of Fulton Street and Division Avenue over the summer.

As part of Art.Downtown., 2011, GVSU’s Civic Studio, a public art project offered as part of the visual studies emphasis in the Department of Art and Design, will display its final exhibit of the semester in the UICA’s Front Gallery

The exhibit focuses on the art institute’s move from the building it has called home since 1998, said Civic Studio member Amber Stout.

“The work will consider beginnings and endings and the overall history of the space,” Stout said. “From their recent clean up of the Sheldon building for an upcoming garage sale, we have an abundant amount of found material and objects that are at our disposal.”

The combination of creative thinking and community ties is one of the event’s biggest draws, Gajewski said.

“Not only does (Art.Downtown.) encourage art and artists, but it exposes people to ideas and perspectives that they can’t find surfing channels at home,” he said. “Whether you know every artist or none, there’s a reason to check it out. This is what community building is all about.”

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