Thursday, Februrary 5th was a great day. Not only was it my sister’s birthday (Happy Birthday Caren!) it was also the latest instalment of the Art Gallery of Ontario’s First Thursdays.

AGO First Thursdays is a great party series thrown by the gallery on the first Thursday of every month. After the AGO closes for regular business, the place is transformed into an events venue with DJs, Drinks, Dancing, Dashing Dudes, Dreamy Dames and some Damn Fine Art. Last night was no exception.

I got to view an icon’s work, Jean-Michel Basquiat. The exhibition titled Now’s the Time showed the brilliant artist’s work where he explored the struggle of claiming his African-American male identity in the tumultuous era of New York City in the early 80s.

The night was capped off by a DJ set spun by none other than the legendary Grandmaster Flash. For a young man who grew up listening to classic hip hop and following its development over the years, this was a definitely a highlight for me.

As a humble suggestion, I think this would be a really cool place to do some awesome contemporary music collaborations as well. Much along the lines of what the Canadian Opera Company does at their Operanation event – pairing classical singers with some of today’s hottest local talent. Just a thought.

If you’re looking for something to do on Thursdays, or what I like to call “Friday Eve”, I highly suggest hitting up one of these awesome events. You won’t be disappointed.

For more on Jean-Michel Basquiat, visit his page on Artsy.net.