Feast your eyes: Utah restaurants feed local talent.

• Author: Kennedy, Linda T.
• Position: Executive Living

History has it that food and art have gone together as long as meat and potatoes. "Starving artists" were born out of the bohemian counterculture in 19th century Paris when undiscovered artists traded work for food. And artists, such as Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall, were regulars at the La Colombe d'Or, a small cafe along the French Rivera, where they contributed original works for a meal. Those masterpieces are still there, alongside work by today's artists.

Transforming dining room walls into gallery space is a global trend restaurateurs are utilizing even more today, including Utah's own trendy cafes and historic establishments. Now, though, the state's eateries hang art not only to support artists, but as a way to draw customers and establish their social brand.

Mixing Business with Pleasure

"Hundreds will see this work in a day," says Lamb's Grill and Cafe owner, John Speros. "[As an artist] you're lucky to have that over a couple of months in a gallery."

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Lamb's is a popular stop for the ballet crowd, who often frequent the classic, 90-year-old restaurant before performances at Capitol Theater less than a block away. Speros says his restaurant draws people who appreciate art, and some artists have been able to sell 30 pieces in a month. Word-of-mouth has spread about the opportunity at Lamb's and now the restaurant is booked with different artists, mainly photographers, through 2010.

"I'm a photography buff and have lots of friends with photos lying around in boxes and several years ago I told them, 'hey, come hang your work in my restaurant,'" recalls Speros. "Eventually, it evolved into featuring oils and watercolors, too."

When a piece sells in Speros' restaurant, he takes 25 percent from the selling price. But, he says, he profits more from the customer's responses to the art.

"I will sit up here and watch them stop and actually study the work," Speros says from his small, open office above the cafe. "It adds an extra dimension to their dining experience."

It also adds dimension to unknown artists' careers. "It's the way you get seen," says fine art photographer Mendel Peterson, Jr., Lamb's November--featured artist, explaining that it's difficult to break into Utah's mainstream art community. "Exhibitions such as the Park City Arts Festival--you have to apply to show at those. The artists are selected and it's very limited."

Art as Social Consciousness

Providing people with an elevated dining experience is...