Student art displayed in local coffee shop

A quick glance in the window offers the typical scene of college students sipping, typing, reading, or enjoying the company of a friend. However, once inside anyone will notice why Blackbird isn’t just that. Against it’s dulled red brick walls, Blackbird is one of the downtown coffee shops that displays artwork of all types of mediums.

Whether it is a painting, a drawing, or a photograph, the coffeehouse is willing to display the masterpiece. The art displayed has to be picked.

“We try to be particular about the art that goes in Blackbird. We want to spark curiosity without having to explain what the art means,” said manager Chris Avirett.

KevinHall | gcsunade.com

Kevin Hall / Staff Photographer Senior art major Anne Jone’s artwork hangs in Blackbird Coffee’s store.

In order for someone to have his or her art displayed in Blackbird, an e-mail must be sent to Avirett. The e-mail should include several details about the art and preferably a few photographs to go with it. However, a single person cannot own the walls of the coffee shop forever.

“We really like to encourage anyone who is an artist to display his or her collection. If you have art that we feel would work best in here, we put it up,” Avirett said. “Art is switched around every month. During the summer we aren’t so strict about this but during the school year we try to have a collection displayed for no more than a month.”

All of the walls of Blackbird are covered in art and some of them by GCSU art major Anne Jones’ artwork. Jones has teasingly given the costumers of Blackbird a small preview of her senior exhibition project that she has named “Hidden.”

“(The project) explores the idea of physically as well as mentally searching for something that has been lost or forgotten,” Jones said.

Jones’ work definitely has hidden meanings to it that draw in the spectator instantly. In fact, the “Hidden” art collection is a small reflection of Jones’ life.

“I love walking around in small towns seeing how charming the storefront of the buildings are… then walking around back and seeing something completely different-decay. which, to me, is way more interesting and fun to look at,” Jones said. “Through different compositions I love trying to create a story without giving away too many details, just let the viewer fill in the blank.”

She goes on to describe her work, “I’d like to say that my work is a deep look into who I really am and that all of my deepest secrets are embedded into the details of the photographs… but then I would be lying. The truth is that there are times where I’ll come up with an idea and go searching for it to try and get it down on film… but then there are other times where you can see a random door or window and the composition just clicks. But to put it plainly-I like what I like and I don’t have any real reason behind that.”

Many students like the fact that Blackbird offers it’s wall space.

“As an art student, it’s very encouraging to see the community providing opportunities for us to sort of spread our wings,” said junior Rachel Cauthen. “ I love going to Blackbird for study sessions and checking out all the new pieces that are on display.”

Blackbird will continue to display local and student artwork and as for Anne Jones and her artwork, she says “–there is more to come.”

Posted by Melissa Mercado on Oct 1 2010. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.