First Friday in Salinas will be back – first, organizers are asking artists what they need.

The Salinas-based arts nonprofit Artists Ink took a step back from First Friday, putting the monthly event on hold as of September. The tradition in downtown Salinas will be back, Artists Ink pledges – for now, they are developing a vision of what new, improved First Fridays should look like, what was missing and what didn’t work. One issue was lack of light during early winter evenings.

As a first step, the organization is asking the artist community for input. A town hall is designed to hear from local artists and ask how to make First Friday more artist-centered.

“During the summer it was great, but this time of year it gets harder and fewer people show up,” Artists Ink’s marketing director and event coordinator, Alejandro Casanova, says. “That was a concern from attendees, and artists as well. Instead of doing what we think is right, we want to ask artists: What do you want?”

Some local First Fridays specialize in something other than art, like Sand City’s successful night market, which is driven by music. Artists Ink wants to put the emphasis on visual arts.

The town hall will also serve as an update on what’s going on at Artists Ink. For example, every six weeks the nonprofit updates its calendar with its Cepanoa programs for teens, four to six weeks per session; they continue to work with Santa Rita Union School District, bringing art to schools.

The group is determined for First Friday to come back. “There is nothing else like this,” Casanova says. “We are here to pick up the pieces.”

ARTIST TOWN HALL takes place 6-7:30pm Friday, Dec. 6. Artists Ink, 1 Midtown Lane, Salinas. RSVP; 287-0407, artistsink.org