Art is all around us, it is said. It is also said by area artists that there are never enough venues for artists to exhibit their work. One venue in Hamilton is the Brookwood Café on Quakerbridge Road.
Owners Kelly and Jeff Rick are helping artists by offering their café as a place where art can be shown, seen and purchased. Since opening 7 years ago the Ricks have brought art to the public, along with their breakfasts and lunches.
The artists whom I’ve spoken with were very grateful for the opportunity to exhibit and the kindness and interest of the owners and staff.
How and when did you decide to show art in the Café?
When I was teaching at Lawrence High School a fellow teacher and artist, Sean Carney, would have various art shows either at galleries or local businesses. Kelly and I would love to attend. Then we started attending other art shows or displays that several Lawrence School District art teachers would have.
At that point, I always knew that if I started my own business, I would love to showcase the local artists.
What were the initial reactions of your patrons?
The patrons loved it. I’ve had nothing but positive reviews from customers about the rotating artwork. Many customers like to hear that we support local artists and look forward to the next art display.
What types of art are best received?
Although many customers love the artwork, most of them do not come into the café expecting to buy a piece of art. Unfortunately, some artists may not sell any of their work.
However, one artist, Debbie Randall, a recently retired science teacher from Lawrence High School, paints Halloween paintings. She has been showing her artwork for the past 6 years every October. Debbie sells a lot of her work each year.
What fight/struggle do you have regarding showcasing art at the Cafe?
When we first started showcasing art we had trouble finding artists and coordinating the dates for the art to be on display. We only had the art displayed for 1 month for each artist. Last year I streamlined the process, each artist is on display for two months, with the exception of September and October.
The artwork is put up on the 1st of the month and taken down the last day of the 2nd month. This has been working great.
Another problem that we ran into was the amount of hooks and nails I was putting in the walls each month. I was constantly spackling and touching up the wall with paint. We corrected that by installing an art gallery hanging system in the restaurant. We also installed track lighting to highlight the artwork.
How often do you have new exhibitions?
Every two months, except in September and October, since October we always showcase Mrs. Randall’s Halloween Art.
Do you feel the artwork brings in new customers?
It does bring in new customers, one because the artist will let their friends know about their display and they will come in to see the artwork. Another reason is because word of mouth about how we display local artist work and people just want to come in to see it or want to ask me how to get on the list to display their work.
Are any of the artists regular customers or vice versa?
I’ve had some regular customers let me know they are artists or photographers or that they know artists. We would exchange contact information and I was able to have displayed their work.
Do you feel the artists appreciate the opportunity to show their work at the Brookwood Cafe?
Yes, most artists appreciate that I display their work because it gives them more exposure of their art. I appreciate the artists for allowing me to display their artwork. Another reason that artists like to display their art at the Brookwood, is that we do not collect any commission from any work that is sold. We are just excited that the artist was able to sell their art.
Are there Opening Reception type events for the exhibitions?
Before COVID I had a few art opening nights where we would invite local artists and friends to come in and view the artwork. I am looking to start that up again.
Do your patrons look forward to the exhibitions or specific artists?
Most customers look forward to the new art work.
Do you think it would benefit other restaurants in town to showcase art?
I believe that other restaurants would benefit by showcasing local artists art. I talk to a lot of owners and tell them the advantages of displaying local artists work. Some drawbacks could be lack of wall space, size, type and amount of artwork that is displayed. The time it takes to organize and coordinate the various artist to display their work. In my situation the benefits of displaying the art far exceeds any drawbacks.
What is on the horizon? What are you looking forward to?
To continue to support local artists. I would love to see some of the artists that start out at the Brookwood Café make a major impact in the art world.
Artist Sejal Gupta, right, with Brookwood Café owner Jeff Rick. Gupta’s artworks are on display on the café wall behind them.,
