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For this week’s Nibbles, I got consumed by the art of dining. I talk with a Boulder artist, a restaurant owner and an artists’ collective representative about the visuals we enjoy with our chai and eggs Benedicts.
Plus: Two new coffee houses are opening, along with a fresh Table Mesa pasta/pizza joint; a pie film is showing for National Pi Day; and TV’s “Shark Tank” will feature the two Nude Foods Market founders from Boulder.
— John Lehndorff
While eating a Denver omelet with ‘cakes, grits and coffee at the Walnut Cafe, I looked up from my doomscrolling and was struck by the art. A row of bright, engaging paintings lined the wall.
I smiled and thought: “This is where folks get their hit of art.”
Boulder County has its fair share of museums, galleries and studios, but I think much of the art that residents encounter and appreciate is on display at restaurants, offices and other public spaces.
Delivering scrambled eggs and art on the wall
More than any other type of venue, you will find local art on the walls at the array of independent coffee houses in Boulder County. From the Laughing Goat in Boulder to Morning Glory Cafe in Lafayette and Old Oak Coffee House in Niwot, owners and managers do double duty filling their own walls with rotating exhibits.
When it comes to curating the space of the Walnut Cafe and the Southside Walnut Cafe, co-owner Ariel Cooke keeps it in-house.
“I support staff first, and we seem to have a lot of talented artists working for us. Your waiter may be the artist who did the painting you were enjoying,” Cooke says.
According to Cooke, the art stays up until the art needs to come down.
The Walnut Cafe doesn’t take a commission when a piece sells. “They’re taking a chance by hanging their stuff and getting feedback. I hope it helps them get where they are going as artists,” she says.
Open Studios’ multicourse menu of artists
Boulder’s Open Studios is best known for its annual tour of artists’ studios, but the organization also works to get artists connected with places that display art, according to Mary Horrocks, executive director of the Boulder nonprofit.
“Cafes can come to us, and we will set up an art program for them from our catalog of 160 juried professional artist members, most of whom have inventories that they would love to place somewhere and be seen,” Horrocks says.
Coffee shops tend to change their art displays every one to three months. “We want to give more artists a chance, and we want to change it up so that the energy of the coffee shop changes,” she says.
Open Studios surveys the wall space, installs the art with tags and arranges pickup when the show ends.
“We receive a commission. Even really good artists don’t always know how to hang an exhibit. We do it to certain standards, check the lighting, and handle the sales and the paperwork,” Horrocks says.
“There are some artists who absolutely will not hang anything in a corridor that leads you to the bathroom. But you know what? Often that’s the pieces that sell,” she says.
Creating accessible art that moves people
Deborah Fryer has been making art her whole life while working as an environmental documentary filmmaker, meditation and yoga teacher, and medical school student. She only recently started displaying her paintings in public.
Fryer has appreciated the comments she’s received from customers for her evocative “soulscapes” hung at OZO Coffee, Logan’s, Ruzo and other cafés.
“When we see a painting that really moves us, it activates the parasympathetic state of relaxation. It’s very healing for the nervous system. We turn down the busyness of the mind,” Fryer says.
Having seen some success selling artwork on display at cafés, she offered a few observations for artists pondering a cafe display:
- “The first challenge is emotional: Seeing yourself as somebody whose art is displayed in a coffee shop. Just ask. The first time I went into Amante and very shyly said, ‘Could I join your artists’ rotation?’ And they put me on the calendar for August and September.”
- “Hanging and hauling art is a physical challenge involving ladders and tools, and each café has a different hanging system.”
- “Coffee shops set their artist rotations early, and there are a lot of great artists in town. You have to get in line.”
Readers’ café art tour recommendations
Asked to recommend local eateries that do a good job of displaying local art, artists and Nibbles readers came through with a great list of Boulder County destinations including:
Boulder: Amante, OZO Coffee, Spruce Confections, Ruzo’s Coffee, Logan’s at Junction Place, Tonic Alchemy, Laughing Goat, Lucky’s Bakehouse Cafe and the Boulder Cork
Louisville: Paul’s Coffee, Moxie Bread Co.
Rollinsville: Toss: Woodfired Eatery
Lafayette: East Simpson Coffee and Morning Glory Cafe
Niwot: Old Oak Coffee House
Send additions to our list of art-friendly food and drink establishments to nibbles@boulderreportinglab.org.
Nude Foods Market enters the ‘Shark Tank’
Rachel Irons and Verity Noble, co-founders of Boulder-born Nude Foods Market, will offer their sustainable grocery model on March 11 on the ABC program “Shark Tank.”
Credit: ABC
Opening
Boulder’s Zodiac Subs has opened a second shop at 2052 Broadway.
Coming attractions
Blackbelly chef Hosea Rosenberg is bringing Morso, a new pasta and pizza eatery, to Table Mesa at 627 S. Broadway, former location of Under the Sun.
Pearl Street Coffee will open at 2232 Pearl Street.
Logan’s at The Armory is set to open at 4790 Broadway.
Pie doc returns for National Pi Day
The new documentary “Pieowa: A Piece of America” sold out when it was shown in Boulder to celebrate National Pi Day. Beth Howard’s heartfelt tribute to the national dessert returns to the Dairy Arts Center for five showings March 11-14. On March 11, I will lead an à la mode talkback discussion afterward. Tickets here.
Seasonal stew and Moxie Bread Co. loaves are on the menu at Making Sense of Food Labels & Local Food Systems on March 12 at the Museum of Boulder, with Jodie Popma of Slow Food Boulder County. Tickets here.
Longmont’s Cheese Importers offers Olive Oil 101, a tasting class March 11 of six international oils. For tickets, call 303-772-9599.
Boulder’s Bookcliff Vineyards offers a Winemaker for a Day experience on March 14 with winemaker Will Thompson. Taste and sniff varietals and then craft your own blend to take home. Details here.
Among true Colorado craft brew geeks, the best beer festival of the year is always the Collaboration Fest. On April 4 at the Westin Westminster, craft breweries will pour over 120 unique beers brewed by at least two breweries. Local breweries participating include Boulder Social, Crystal Springs, Westbound & Down, Odd13, Liquid Mechanics and Wibby. Tickets available here.
Get your upcoming food event, festival or class listed free on Boulder Reporting Lab using the self-submission form here.
“Grilling, broiling, barbecuing — whatever you want to call it — is an art, not just a matter of building a pyre and throwing on a piece of meat as a sacrifice to the gods of the stomach.” — James Beard
Want more Boulder bites?
New Boulder restaurant Casa Juani brings Spanish seafood and tapas from Frasca alumni chefs
Frasca alumni chefs Eduardo Valle Lobo and Kelly Jeun open their first solo restaurant on Pearl Street in downtown Boulder. Continue reading…
Longmont pizzerias launch ‘Pizza With Purpose’ to fight food insecurity
Three Main Street pizza shops are donating proceeds to hunger relief and planning a statewide pizza festival to support local communities. Continue reading…
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