Posts Tagged ‘coffee’

Coffee Beer Tasting

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

Coffee Beers

Jenn Sharon

A few months ago, Art in Bars brought you a pumpkin beer tasting. The tasting had some surprising results! I decided to host a beer tasting at my house, this one coffee inspired. In addition to AiB contributors (all current or former baristas) (Ed note – hey! I wasn’t there!) ¬†this tasting has a special guest‚Äîfriend to AiB, super Philadelphia Realtor and Rittenhouse Square bartender‚ÄîKrista Vandestreek!¬†This tasting has five of finest coffee beers that the Foodery in NoLibs had to offer. Flying Fish Imperial Espresso Porter, Philadelphia Brewing Company‚Äôs Joe, Dogfish Head Chicory Stout, Bell‚Äôs Java Stout, and Dark Horse Perkulator. Categorizes testing are – hopiness, creaminess, nose, coffee flavor, repurchase ability and overall taste. Zero to five.

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What to do tonight – Art Benefit at Benna’s Cafe

Friday, August 14th, 2009
forthosetocome

For Those to Come

Fresh from my facebook (my personal source for all reliable news,) there will be an opening reception tonight at Benna’s Cafe for the show “For Those That Come” a group show of bird themed art with the proceeds to go to the American Bird Conservatory. Theme shows: a great way to get a bunch of disparate artists showing. I am a genius and tried to search the internet to figure out who all was taking part, when I realized that the names are on the poster. S-M-R-T.

Artists involved include: Nishat Akhtar, Ben Brower, Michael Bukowski, Avalon Clare, Ryann Casey, Charlie Cottone, Anthony Croasdale, Alex Curtis, Adriane Dalton, Jeanne D’Angelo, Matt DiFilippo, Monica Elder, Melissa Farley, Ashley Gehman, Alyssa Grenning, Justin Gray,¬† Eleanor Grosch, Joseph Hasenauer,¬† Katie Henry, Zia Hiltey,¬† Jessica Hoffman, Andrew Johnson-Lally, Kettner, Doug Larocca, Erik Mato, James McCullough, Jen Mercer, Kat Moran, Kaitlin Mosley, Alicia Neal, Justin Quinlan, Joe Reynolds,¬† Josh Robeson, Natalia Smith, Yank Spade, Erin Turner, Laura Walczak, Ketch Wehr, Justine Wilson,¬† Clint Woodside, Greg Zadrozny, and Avalon Zimmerman.

Once again, some familiar names in there. The opening reception is tonight August 14, from 7-9 p.m.

Benna’s Cafe 1236 S 8th St

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Chapterhouse BBQ opening

Friday, July 10th, 2009

The coffee houses don’t tend to put up new shows on the first Friday of the month like the bars do. I think this is because the bars are feeling they should capitalize on the extra foot traffic that night and also, perhaps, if they’re lucky, get a review so people come in. The cafes on the other hand, are much more laissez faire, both in when the new shows come up, and also, *ahem*, telling people about them. I know Bean Cafe‘s last show came down on the 7th, but their *ahem* myspace page hasn’t been updated yet, neither has Soy Cafe, nor Higher Grounds, and¬† Last Drop seems highly uninterested in helping me know their shows when I visited them having a non-functioning email and surly barrista.

But wait, what’s this?¬† An art opening party that’s also a bbq? Today, Friday July 10th, Chapterhouse Cafe is hosting an opening for their new show starting at 6 pm. I was sitting on this info hoping they’d update *sigh* their myspace page with pictures. But they have not, so I’ll just give you the facts, plain and simple: Tim Durning and Shane Vidaurri will be up for the whole summer, and this opening is also part of their annual BBQ. If you want to check it out, it’s tonight. You’re invited to “bring some party favors and . . . grill and chill and meet the artists!”

Chapterhouse Cafe
620 S. 9th St.
http://www.myspace.com/chapterhouse

This whole using a myspace as your website thing, as you may have noticed really irks my tater.¬† #1, no one uses myspace anymore except my sister and designer drugs. So, I have to make an effort to go there, and that irritates me. #2, YOU, business that has a myspace page instead of a website, YOU don’t even properly use it – you never update in a timely manner to let me know who is on the walls, no pictures, and gosh darn it, you haven’t replied to my friend request I sent over a month ago. If you insist on hitching your wagon to outmoded technology, at least use the stupid outmoded technology.

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Beans & Screens

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

beansWhilest searching for what’s new at the 3 Green Line Cafes this month, I discovered that they were now working with Beans-n-Screens, an art benefit project. Began in 2008, Beans-n-Screens is organized by the Philly-based Independents Coffee Cooperative and curated by Sam Verrill. The purpose is to bring together unique and affordable coffee-themed screenprints, donated by artists and designers from around North America where 100% of the sales¬† benefit the coffee farmers. Specifically, the profits go to Cooperative San Fernando, located high in the Andes in Peru. Coffee art that supports coffee farmers. You can find out more about this project on their blog, beans-n-screens.blogspot.com.

I love my partner, but he’s really into “kitchen art” which I am not too fond of. But I feel we can compromise with Beans-n-Screens; he get’s food based art to display near where we make food, I get to feel good about supporting artists and a good cause, and secretly, some of the prints are really cute. Check out the etsy page here.

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June Coffee Buzz

Monday, June 15th, 2009

As I’m just getting this thing rolling, and many locations don’t have e-mail or updating websites, it frequently will take me a couple weeks to get all the listings for the month in order. But it works out well for you, as rather than being overwhelmed by the whole shebang at the beginning of the month you get leisurely rolling updates of what’s on the walls. It’s not like you were going to hit up every place First Friday or Second Thursday either. You know one of the things I like about you? Your patience. It’s a virtue these days.

Working gallery hours, I almost never get to go to galleries, as they tend to be open, you know, gallery hours. But I’m generally free Mondays, so that’s when I stroll around with my little note book and digital camera, filling in the blanks from the lack of direct e-mail marketing. And the coffee houses are always open for me, with their sweet, sweet caffeine and art. I hit up a couple cafes I had never been to before this week, so not only is this a listings update, it’s also a mini review. (more…)

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Two New Locations

Monday, June 8th, 2009

One of the main reasons I decided to form art in bars was that there doesn’t seem to be a proper method of promotion for alternative exhibition spaces – getting the word out. Even if you are an emerging artist who gets your work up on the walls, chances are the show isn’t in the art listings in the local papers, any person who isn’t your friend (or facebook friend) doesn’t know it’s happening, and even if someone wanders into the right place at the right time to see your work, there may not even be your name on the wall, and if you’re works gone the next month, no one has any way of contacting you, let alone finding your work. If only centralized blog gathered all the information and promoted it, as well as archiving it for later. Wait, that’s what I do!

Now imagine the next phase, where not only are all these art in bars shows gathered into one neat centralized listing, but going one step further, pushing promotion to the local publications and other blogs, producing materials (show cards) maintaining contact and consignment listings so interested people may be able to buy the work later. Power to the emerging/outsider artist and venue!

That being said, here are two new-to-me Cafes that showcase art that are just about six blocks away from each other, AND I even know who they’re showing. Beauty Shop Cafe (Coffee House) 2001 Fitzwater St.¬† 19146 is showing Erika Matyok and Cafe L’Aube (Coffee House and Creperie) 1512 South St. 19146 has the work of Susanna Corson-Finnerty.

Now off to give blood.

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Cashfail – Picturefail – Blogfail

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

It’s install week at the gallery. The most work and the most fun, in my opinion. Yesterday I went in early hoping to hit up Soy Cafe and Higher Grounds since neither of them *AHEM* have operable websites / update OR functioning e-mail addresses. *AHEM* But as I went to order a coffee to sip as I wandered around snapping pics of the art on the walls, I realized I was completely sans cash. I was on the phone with a client at the Art Star Craft Bazaar this weekend when my partner came up to me asking for money. I did that thing where I handed him all my cash while engrossed in the conversation and so didn’t register my wallet was now empty. On the bright side, we have a new Brainstorm print to hang in the home. On the downside I didn’t have the balls to take pictures of the work without buying something.¬† Looking is always free, taking pics, that I feel is worth the price of some caffeine. ALSO, Soy Cafe and Higher Grounds, you are both lacking in the artist promotion of the work you show. Where are the take away cards so I can remember the work / artists name? You know who you should call to handle that promotion for you? Art in Bars. It’s this thing we do.

Anyway, I’ll try to at least get names (if not pics and show titles) up for this week. Also, maybe hit the Abbaye see what they have. But like I said, install calls, and I am pretty grody at the end of the day. Wish me luck not getting rained on today.

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Green Line Cafe Shows

Monday, May 4th, 2009

The Green Line Cafe is one of those ur-coffee houses that typify the whole movement. Family owned, with a ‘think globaly act locally’ ethos, a desire to create a sense of place within the community, (as well as providing much needed caffeine for the University City crowd,) they are the place on the west side of the river to spend the day drinking coffee in an artistic atmosphere.¬† And it has three locations, all showing art. Let’s see what’s on the walls, shall we?

Ruth Ansel, Woods.
Ruth Ansel, Woods.

At the original Green Line Cafe there is the recent egg tempera paintings of Ruth Ansel in an exhibit entitled Humans and Animals. (4239 Baltimore Avenue)

Kaitlin Brittingham, Sleeping Bags and Banjos
Kaitlin Brittingham, Sleeping Bags and Banjos.

Green Line on Locust has the paintings of Kaitlin Brittingham up in a showing called From Here to There. (4426 Locust Street)

Anna Breininger, title unknown
Anna Breininger, title unknown.

Green Line Powelton is displaying New Paintings by Anna Breininger, which are actually mixed media paintings. (3649 Lancaster Avenue)

All Green Line exhibitions on view through April. More information can be found on their website http://greenlinecafe.com.

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Merci du RSVP

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

I would like to thank all the bars and cafes who have kindly responded to my emails asking permission to list them on this site. I am so excited about the idea of promoting art outside of traditional art galleries, I’m just muddling my way through how to actually do it in a sophisticated, pragmatic, and useful way that benefits both spaces and artists. Hopefully in the next week I will perfect linking images with posts, have current listings (!!!) for my starter locations, work with my more graphically and web-inclined friends to solidify this layout, get cards designed, and sort out a useful system for artists.

Ambitious goals: get in the habit of posting at least one pertinent post a day. Make google calender for all openings / changes in shows so I can keep all information current and correct (since most locations don’t do a pr push but do change their own website). Figure out how to format the ‘click to read more’ (should posts ever exceed a paragraph). Get in contact with starter artists. Figure out useful categorization. Figure out how to make the tags appear. Make the header links and sidebars significantly less crappy.

p.s. I see that yahoo bought babelfish from altavista. When did that happen?

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