The ArtsCenter has launched an open jazz jam series that will start cranking up just as the Artwalk starts to wind down. The Open Jazz Jam kicks into action at 8 p.m. and goes until 11:30 at The ArtsCenter, 300-G E. Main St., Carrboro.

Jazz players, music fans and folks who love to dance are invited; the dance floor will be open.

Drummer and educator Matt Vooris will lead the band and call some of the tunes. He has been part of a number of local groups, including SNMNMNM, the Maxwell/Mosher Band, the Triangle Jazz Orchestra, The Diamond Cutters, Peter Lamb and the Wolves, Taz Halloween, and A Rooster for the Masses.

The ArtsCenter Open Jazz Jam is a new incarnation of a series the organization used to present. The jam was revived in response to a request from the African American ArtReach Advisory Committee. The committee has been working with the ArtsCenter and the local black community to provide cultural and artistic events with that community's needs in mind.

The Open Jazz Jam will celebrate the music of this country's musicians and composers in an all-inclusive forum that everyone is encouraged to attend. It'll happen the second Friday of every month, just like the 2nd Friday Artwalk.

Speaking of which, this month's Artwalk will include the grand opening of the area's newest gallery, the Jesse Kalisher Gallery, at 209 E. Main St., Carrboro -- just across from The ArtsCenter, as it happens. The gallery will feature Kalisher's photography..

"It's exciting for us to become a part of the arts community here," Kalisher said.

Kalisher's photography is part of the permanent collection of museums across the country, including the Fine Arts Museum of Houston, the DeYoung Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco and Chapel Hill's Ackland Art Museum. His limited edition prints start at $1,500, but he said that "everyone should have access to affordable art." As a result, the gallery will sell reproductions starting at $20.

The first exhibit at the Jesse Kalisher Gallery will feature selections from Kalisher's "Art Watching" collection, including his well-known "Mona Lisa at the Mona Lisa" print. In addition, the gallery will show a selection of Kalisher's popular international images including pictures from Venice, Paris, San Francisco and New York.

"The arts can and should be an economic engine that drives Carrboro -- and Jesse is a tremendous addition to our local arts community," said Jon Wilner, executive director of The ArtsCenter. "I personally love his work. His success in town will pave the way for more art galleries."

The gallery will open in conjunction with the Artwalk, 6-9 p.m. See www.2ndfridayartwalk.com.