Andy Warhol's ambition of bringing art to the masses has materialized in Madison coffee shops. Art is everywhere, and those who claim not to have time for it just need to take a look around their favorite study havens, lunch places or date spots. Modern coffee houses have fulfilled Warhol's vision, to the point where it's virtually inescapable.
Years before, it wasn't common [that coffee shops displayed artwork], we'd get artists calling one to two times a day,"" said Mark Paradise, owner of Sunroom Café, 638 State St.
Sunroom, like most coffee shops, now has its own gallery director to take care of choosing and booking artist's works. There is no need to go to a museum when the best way to get a fresh glance at modern, local art is stopping in for a cup of joe.
Creativity is a brewin' all around Madison, and favorite locally owned coffee shops, such as Fair Trade Coffeehouse, 418 State St., Sunroom Café and Electric Earth, located at 546 W. Washington and 1 N. Randall Ave., change artistic mantra every six to eight weeks.
""It's an easy way to decorate the walls and change up the atmosphere,"" Paradise said. Right now, the Sunroom is exhibiting photographs of dogs.
""It's fun,"" Paradise said, ""[the Sunroom] is very adaptable... We've had all kinds of stuff, [such as] comic book artists come in and repaint the walls every few days to look like comic book panels.""
Madison, a uniquely artistic place, is fueling a new Factory-esque generation of artists and art-lovers. Taste is no longer reserved for the academics or the connoisseurs, according to some local artists.
""You're going to get a different crowd at a coffee shop than at a gallery,"" Mary Beth Johnson, a UW-Madison art student said. ""You'll get all kinds of people who aren't in the art world ... people who wouldn't know or want to go to a gallery.""
While the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art is a reserve for aficionados, local coffee houses are buzzing with all-inclusive artistic fervor. Everyone is entitled to an experience and an opinion.
""People who come into a coffee shop, whether they stay or not, are going to see your work,"" Johnson said.
Particularly for students, coffeehouses are the best way to get your name out there.
""The galleries on the seventh floor of Humanities are usually reserved for graduate students. If you want to get your work seen your best bet is a coffeehouse,"" said Johnson, who recently had a display of photography at the Electric Earth on Randall Ave.
Despite the recognition, opening up anything to the masses constitutes a certain amount of risk and opens the door for censorship.
Johnson, whose newest pieces focus on kitschy Wisconsin culture, said she feels hesitant about displaying them in public areas.
""I have pictures of deer carcasses and stuff, and I wouldn't put them up in a coffee shop,"" she said.
Johnson's recent exhibition at Electric Earth featured photographs she took in Italy.
""I decided to put them up in a coffee shop because people would like them more,"" she continued.
In light of expected discretion, however, most coffee shops are open to new and even outlandish art.
""We've had a lot of different things,"" Paradise said. ""We won't put it up if it's mean or degrading to certain groups, [but] most people react favorably [to the art].""
As always, you can't please everyone.
While some people love the dog show at Sunroom, others find it ""creepy,"" said Jed Weisman, a UW Madison senior. Weisman prefers photography, in particular, and enjoys the art and ambiance at Fair Trade Coffeehouse, Sunroom Café and Café Montmartre, 127 E. Mifflin St., a local wine bar.
Art has a distinctly personal effect on people and it's only natural to find it in coffee houses, according to Johnson.
""I think coffee shops are an intimate, comfortable setting and artwork always adds to the comfort level rather than a blank wall,"" Johnson said. ""Especially if it's new every month or every couple of months, people want to keep coming back.""
