Coffee with a Side of Neighborhood Art

On the last Friday of every month, you can head to Fort Hamilton Parkway between 2nd and 3rd streets for a glass of wine with a splash of local art.

"I came up with the idea for the art shows before we even signed the lease," said Lynn McKee, owner of Steeplechase Coffee, which opened last July and hosts the events. "I wanted there to be a way for people in the community to participate in the shop, not just come to the shop as a customer."

McKee and her husband moved to the neighborhood from South Park Slope when they found out they were having twins. They immediately noticed the lack of a local coffee shop.

"I felt that there was an absence of some place to gather as a community," said McKee. "A coffee shop is so traditional in that sense."

As soon as the coffee shop was opened, art was being put on the walls. So far, all of the artists live either in the immediate area. McKee is excited to offer local residents a way to show their work to their neighbors.

"It's people that have never shown their work before and they are debuting at the shop, and it's people that have been successful as artists and are into showing their work in their local neighborhood," said McKee.

McKee said she wasn't sure if residents would notice or care about the art on the walls, and was shocked by the incredibly positive reaction. 

"I'm overwhelmed by how much it matters to people that live here," she said. "People come in and look at the work all the time. They ask about the artists, they ask when we are having a new artist and want to know when the shows are coming up."

The current exhibit at Steeplechase Coffee is paintings and illustrations by Maya Edelman, from Windsor Terrace. Edelman, who is originally from the former USSR, studied animation at Pratt Institute and has been living in Brooklyn for 19 years.

On a flier posted next to her art at the shop, it says that Edelman's work "often deals with young ladies plagued and burdened by various discomforts, like buildings, birds, and tangles of their own hair."

Edelman's work will be shown at the shop through Thursday, March 29. On Friday, local couple John Lloyd and Jane Talcott will be putting up their work—paintings of neighborhood scenes.

"Having a new artist every month on that wall is really fun for us because it changes the landscape of the shop," said McKee. For McKee it's a win-win situation. The coffee shop is redecorated with each new show, and the artist gains exposure.

"It's an opportunity for them to show their work and also to sell their work," she said. "I don't need to take a cut of that, I'm happy to have people come in and enjoy the shop."

Steeplechase Coffee is located at 3013 Fort Hamilton Parkway, and is open Mon-Fri, 7am-7pm and Sat-Sun, 8am-7pm. The openings take place on the last Friday of every month, from 8-11pm.