Coffee shop turned gallery

It was a Monday. I felt like seeing art. However, upon my tour of various galleries, I was met with the annoyingly logical realization that almost every gallery is closed on Monday.

The weekends are their busiest days, and since they are often minimally-staffed, the extra day off is necessary for funds and morale.

Plus, who the heck wants to go to a gallery on a Monday?
In a pit of despair and self-pity directed at my insatiable need to visually devour good art, I went to Backstage Coffee, hoping to drown my dashed hopes in a quad-shot espresso.

But then I was hit by art—a mini gallery—set up within the shop. I remembered that it’s been there for quite awhile, and it changed how I consider the presentation of art to the masses.

Galleries are good and have their place, but more and more coffeeshops and hole-in-the-wall restaurants are embracing the exhibition of local artists, and offering the pieces for sale. They get free decoration, the artists get their work seen by lots of people, and the city’s culture is improved by more art in more places.

I am not an elitist, nor am I against galleries. I adore the Clyfford Still Museum, the Contemporary Art Museum, and even the Denver Art Museum when new exhibits come to town (like Becoming Van Gogh–talk about breathtaking).

However, this increase in the amount of art displayed in unconventional places makes artistry a more easily accessible profession, and a more widely appreciated form of expression. After all, art is made for everybody, not just the people who feel the need to seek it out.

Denver is becoming more and more the home of the artist, with other initiatives like showcasing local sculpture on city streets.

Whether you want to check out the latest exhibit at DAM or just grab a cup of coffee, be sure to look around and enjoy the visual stiumlation around you. It’s only getting better.