Art Around Town: Restaurants, Yoga Studios & Artists Coalitions Sharing Original Art with Their Patrons

One of the best ways to transform a space is by decorating with original art. More and more companies are sharing their space by opening up their venues to rotating art exhibits. Their environments are transformed to a gallery of sorts and patrons get introduced to work by local artists, so it’s a win-win for the artist and the business! For the artist, it provides an alternative to traditional venues to show and sell their work. Even if nothing sells the exposure for future sales is invaluable. For the business, I’ve found the employees get super excited when they have new art coming in. It gives their workplace a fresh vibe, which in turn, gives patrons a fabulous experience and a reason to become “regulars”. I’ll share some of the Kansas City venues that are currently extending this opportunity to me.

CAFÉ EUROPA

A few weeks back my painting mentor contacted me with an exhibit opportunity at Cafe Europa in the Union Hill area of Kansas City. The restaurant, which has its original location in Crestwood, opened about one year ago in this new location. It is a welcoming neighborhood restaurant that focuses on good, seasonal food. They change their menus on a monthly basis to showcase ingredients at their peak of quality and sustainable availability.

Just as they change their menu to keep things fresh, they are now bringing in original art on a quarterly basis so their atmosphere emits a colorful buzz. This past Sunday we installed thirteen original abstract acrylic paintings. The two largest are 60”x36” with one centering the main dining room titled, “A Look Inside”. The other large one titled, “Up And Away” will hang out with the private dining crowd in a wonderful back room that seats up to 24 people located just off the bar. The balance of the work ranges in size from 14”x18”, 18”x36”, 36”x36” and up to 40”x40”. My work will be there now and through the first of May.

KANSAS CITY ARTISTS COALITION

The Kansas City Artists Coalition (KCAC or Artists Coalition) is an artist-centered, artist-run alternative space that presents a variety of exhibitions of contemporary artists’ work in its Mallin Gallery, Jacqueline B. Charno Gallery, and the Underground. In January they hosted their One Night Stand event for all member artists to exhibit one piece of work. They host this art filled evening with music, food and drink to a wonderfully colorful crowd.

Their largest event is an Art Auction and serves as a fundraiser for the Kansas City Artists Coalition. This year’s auction is coming up on February 17th and will begin at 6:00pm. There are silent and live auction artworks available and the public is welcome. The piece I have donated this year is titled, “It Comes Full Circle II”. Its sister painting titled: “It Comes Full Circle” is available at Strecker Nelson West Art Gallery in Manhattan, Kansas.

LOTUS YOGA & WELLNESS SPA

Lotus Yoga is celebrating 4 years in its south Overland Park location. They have a growing following of yogis, including myself, that benefit from the many services and classes they offer. I have learned that taking and hour out of a day for a yoga class actually gives me an extra hour of creativity. Part of being an artist is clearing your mind so creativity can flow and at Lotus that happens for me!

When the owner asked if I could make my work available for their gallery walls I was torn between taking my acrylic paintings or my photography. I decided this was the perfect location to share a portion of my photographic collection. Eighteen framed photographic prints of images from across Europe and South America will soak up the good karma at Lotus through the end of May. This same collection was part of a one-woman photographic exhibit of my work at the Blanden Art Museum, in Iowa. An anniversary open house and artists reception will be held February 9 from 5:30-9:00.

CREATIVE VENUES

There seem to be endless opportunities to exhibit art across the city. The more you look the more venues there are, so artists should be selective when deciding where to hang their work. Always provide the location with labels that include title, size, pricing and of course your name and website. Never leave your art without a signed contract agreement and inventory list.

Displaying your work in different venues can give you invaluable exposure and allow more people to enjoy your work. This exposure can open up many doors in the future and can grow your collector following. Tell me about interesting venues in your part of town that promote the arts…leave a comment below!