Photo by: Leila MattimoreLauren Gregg's "Nerdimals" are displayed in the Prince Avenue
restaurant The Grit. The Grit features new art installations every
every three weeks.
By Leila Mattimore
There’s no need to put on fancy pants to see great art these days. Museums, galleries and exhibits with expensive admission no longer rule the show.
Athens has long been reputed as a college town with a unique blend of “high culture.” The music venues, restaurants, art galleries, all combine to form a city that values a pleasing aesthetic quality and good taste.
And good taste in Athens is never hard to find. Especially since in many of the restaurants around town you can also find local artists’ work on display.
Jay Totti, general manager of The Grit restaurant, explains how the artists and the restaurants have a mutually beneficial relationship. “We like to support local artists by giving them a space to share their work with the public, but it also benefits the restaurant’s atmosphere,” Totti said.
Every three weeks The Grit features an installation of art by a local artist, but there are certain pieces in the restaurant that never change. According to Totti, the atmosphere remains constant, but it is supplemented with a taste of something new.
“You have a menu of food with specials which change, and you also have a menu of art or appearance,” Totti said. Customers can try a daily special when they come in, or can order their usual off the menu. The same theory can be applied to the ever-varying art.
Currently, The Grit is featuring art by Lauren Gregg. Twelve of Gregg’s “nerdimals,” 15.5 x 19.5 framed illustrations, can be found in the restaurant adding a playful element to the “atmosphere menu”. Enjoying while you eat is free, but the art is also available for purchase. The “nerdimals” go for about $150 each, and Gregg also sells prints online.
Big City Bread Café is another Athens restaurant that proudly displays local artists. “Sweet Thoughts,” by Kate Schönke, is the current installation. The series is made of handmade paper, ribbon, and collage.
“I really like the cupcakes and sweets in this collage,” Haley Peterson, a sophomore accounting major at the University of Georgia, said of the “Sweet Thoughts” series. “They’re great for the bakery. I think they’re actually making me hungrier.”
Some customers have mixed feelings though, and think the art doesn’t always add to a diner’s experience. “That ominous face, or ghost, over there is scary,” Vinny Barba, a junior at UGA, said, of an untitled, permanent work in Big City Bread cafe.
“I like the little ghost,” Peterson responded.
Edited by: Courtney Smith
Leila and Courtney:
ReplyDeleteThis is a nice, bright little feature. I like the "fancy pants" line in the lead, and the little snatch of dialog in the end. You get a little wordy in the second and third paragraphs, where you're just riffing instead of providing information. The specific description and quotes are what propel the story, not the generalized commentary.
A few style points:
-- When you mention the "15.5 x 19.5 framed illustrations," you need a unit of measurement to go with those numbers. I assume you mean 15.5-by-19.5-inch framed illustrations, but I shouldn't assume. You can find more guidance under "dimensions" in AP.
-- The period should go inside the quotes with
...can be found in the restaurant adding a playful element to the “atmosphere menu”.
-- Don't bother to say a restaurant "proudly" displays local artists. Just say it displays local artists.