Restaurant Walls a Nourishing Space for Artists' Work

"I love watching the way stained glass changes during the day," says Karen Masterson, owner of Lexington Center's Nourish restaurant.

She's referring to several colorful pieces of stained glass – by Natick artist Paula Kochanek Williams – placed around the restaurant. One of Williams' pieces depicts a large, red radish.

Other oil, pastel, acrylic and watercolor compositions have waltzed their way into the restaurant as well, and images of wildflowers, pears and a larger-than-life bowl of olives adorn the walls.

When Masterson, a native of Canada, and her husband opened Nourish in July 2009, they began working closely with area farms to use local and organic ingredients in menu offerings. They also strove to make a restaurant a community space, where people could gather to enjoy food and live music – and also to see work by local artists. 

Before Nourish opened, Masterson worked closely with artists Emily Passman and Barbara Lucas to get area artists' work up on the walls. Later, when the three began considering juried shows for Nourish – in which artists, gallery owners, and others in the art world evaluate art and accept for display – they joined forces with gallery owner Francesca Anderson.

Nourish is currently preparing for an upcoming six-month juried show, and is calling for Massachusetts artists to submit original prints, paintings or drawings for a themed exhibit titled "Celebrating Life: The Food We Eat."

"Under this theme, the subjects of the artwork can be quite diverse: anything associated with the food we eat," says Lucas. "Farming, food stands, diners, fast food, fruit and vegetables, to name just a few."

Work submitted will be juried by Lucas, Passman and Anderson, and accepted pieces will be shown at Nourish from Sept. 1 to Feb. 28.

So far, five paintings have been sold from two previous juried exhibitions at Nourish. The restaurant keeps a binder with artist statements and contact information available at the restaurant, and holds an artist reception to welcome new exhibits and artists.

There's an additional perk. 

"The project plays most of the roles of a gallery, and the restaurant has very high foot traffic," says Lucas. "But there's no 40 or 50 percent commission required from the artists if something sells. For most working artists, it doesn't get much better than that."

By not taking commission for use of the wall space, the Nourish team hopes artist and buyer will find a price that works for both.

Masterson, who has friends who are artists, understands the challenges singers, painters and potters face in eking out a living in harsh economic times. She reflects on the enduring significance of music, food and art.

"Imagine a culture without," Masterson says.

She suggests that, due to the recession, people may not have as much time or inclination to visit art galleries. Masterson hopes, through Nourish, to offer room for "a variety of levels" of community art and expose people to art in a space where they already gather.

"Art doesn't have to be in a museum to be accessible," says Masterson.

In addition to showcasing professional talents, Nourish has also shown student work. Starting in the fall, Masterson hopes to bring in more student artists, as well as student musicians. She also wants to encourage more local, working artists to participate.

"Although the past two shows have been juried, Nourish's overarching goal is to provide a community space," Masterson explains. "After this show, we'll see where we go."

Masterson says she began offering wall space for artists at Big Fresh, the Framingham restaurant she owned previously, where exhibitions changed every four months.

"It was informal, fun, and interesting," says Masterson.

At Nourish, Masterson also provides window exhibit space to the with featured artwork changing every couple of months.

Regarding the upcoming show's title, Masterson says the autumn exhibit will be a harvest-time celebration of sorts.

"It's a big time for a lot of what we grow here (in Massachusetts)," she says.

The submission deadline for "Celebrating Life: The Food We Eat" is midnight on Friday, Aug. 27.  Submission information is available by clicking here. For more information, e-mail nourishart@gmail.com.