The monthly First Friday gallery walk will be held on Thursday this week as to not hinder Friday's Fourth of July celebrations. Many of the downtown galleries will be hosting artist openings on Thursday prior to the city fireworks display scheduled to begin at 11:59 p.m. that evening.

Here is a synopsis of the July 3 gallery walk:

Juneau Arts & Culture Center, 350 Whittier St.

Blue Clay Studios will show new works at their exhibition "FIRE WORKS" at the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council Gallery from 4:30 to 7 p.m. The works of Paul Voelckers, James Voelckers, Matt Voelckers, Dean Guaneli, Mary Pat Wyatt and Janeanne Twelker were produced in their home studios in Juneau and Douglas and at the University of Alaska Southeast studio. In addition, there will be drawings and paintings by James Voelckers.

This year the artists explored a greater luminosity in the glazes and worked primarily in high-fired porcelain with elegant and innovative forms. Both thrown and modified forms, plus hand-built and carved works will be displayed. The artworks are both functional and purely creative works of art.

Following the gallery opening, the arts council will host Fleet Street beginning at 7 p.m. at Marine Park for the "Concert in the Park" series.

The Canvas Community Art Studio & Gallery, 223 Seward St.

Throughout July, photographer Tim Chandonnet will display photographs he has taken of the Taku River in an exhibit called "Taku Seasons: A Photographic Documentation of a People and Their Place." Local band Slow Gun Runner will perform its reggae-infused music beginning at 7:15 p.m. during the opening, and Pie in the Sky will be open until 7:30 p.m. Visit www.takuseasons.com for more information on this exhibit.

Alaska State Museum, 395 Whittier St.

Several summer-long exhibits will be on regular display until 5:45 p.m. on Thursday. "Historic Firearms from Alaska," "Scenes of Sitka," "Raucous! Everything Raven" and "Alaska Positive 2008" exhibits all run through Oct. 18.

On Friday, the Friends of the Alaska State Museum will host "Kai Augustine's Fourth of July Cookout" in the courtyard from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for food and a meet-and-greet. The museum itself will be closed on Friday in observance of the holiday.

The Juneau Artists Gallery, 175 South Franklin St.

All of the 25 Juneau artists who cooperatively run the gallery will be featured during the "First Thursday" monthly art walk. The gallery will have refreshments from 4:30 to 7 p.m., and artists will be available to talk about art as well as any and all summertime topics.

Work displayed will include that of gallery member Jack Hermle, who has lived in Juneau and been taking photographs in the Last Frontier since before Alaska was a state. Work by gallery member Monica O'Keefe will also be on display, including "Raven - King of the Hill," an acrylic painting of a raven surrounded by the wild geraniums of summer in Southeast Alaska.

The Gallery is open year-round and features paintings, etchings, prints, photographs, pottery, ceramic tiles, stained glass, jewelry, woodcraft, and Psyanky eggs, all created by local artists.

Back Room at the Silverbow Inn, 120 Second St.

An opening will be held from 4:30 to 8 p.m. of new and recent work by Juneau artist Edwin Bennett. He says he uses acrylic paint on canvas to highlight the interaction between man and nature, and that his latest works juxtapose street signs and landscapes.