TraillWorks Announces its First {Art Partner}

Several years ago I read something, somewhere, in such and such business magazine for artists about building partnerships with other businesses; one suggestion was to work with restaurants for receptions. Well, it's always been in the back of my mind and last week, Corrie, my associate, and I formulated a letter detailing the TraillWorks' "Art Partner" program. 

I'm thrilled to announce our first "Art Partner", Andre's Restaurant! You've probably seen me mention Andre's before. Most recently we partnered together to present the work of TraillWorks' guest artist, David Ohlerking, for a six-week long exhibit at the restaurant. Tracey and André, proprietors of Andre's, have worked with me in the past on many occasions, have also exhibited my artwork, and I've taught art lessons to both Tracey and their two children. 

photo ©2010 Robert Yaskovic, taken at Andre's Restaurant

I had the good fortune of a child-free weekend which allowed my husband and I to enjoy a savory dinner at Andre's this past Saturday. Yum! The twice-monthly changing menu always offers a fabulous assortment of dishes mostly inspired by European cuisines with an American twist. To start the evening, I ordered a cocktail made from ginger root beer - there's nothing like it anywhere! Then I ordered sauteed orata (a fish that pleasantly surprised me and never had) with fried artichoke and sun-dried tomato risotto. As soon as I see risotto on the menu, I'm sold. Dinner was topped off with a blackberry ice cream over a rich, brownie (hold the whipped cream for me)!

photo ©2010 Robert Yaskovic, taken at Andre's Restaurant

Now that I've whet your appetite, you've probably forgotten the entire point of this post, what is an "Art Partner"? Getting back to the matter at hand, Andre's has agreed to be TraillWorks' first "Art Partner" for the upcoming exhibit featuring artist, Karin Lowney-Seed opening on May 14th. As "Art Partner" for this two-month long show, Andre's will provide the food and drink for our reception on May 14th, in exchange for promotion of the restaurant throughout the duration of the exhibit! Additionally, I'm going to purchase a gift certificate to Andre's Restaurant to give away to a lucky guest in a random drawing the evening of the opening. 

Why am I doing this? Well, it makes a whole lot of sense; it's a great way to build partnerships in the community among businesses, it showcases all the different eateries in the area which my visitors may or may not know about, and it's another aspect of putting together an art exhibit that I don't have to think about. Usually a few days before an opening, I'm scrambling to Sam's or a local eatery to pick up last-minute food. Not time well-spent. There certainly was a lot of upfront work involved in putting this together, and we will have some extra work to do to promote each "Art Partner", but I see this as a "win-win" for both the gallery and the eatery who participates, hopefully expanding both of our audiences. I'll be sending out letters to area restaurants within the next week or so, if you're in the area and interested in this opportunity, send me an email or give me a call at 973-383-1307.


Please put May 14th on your calendar to meet artist, Karin Lowney-Seed, sample a taste of Andre's Restaurant, and most importantly, take in a feast for your eyes! Plus it's the Tour of Art kick-off event in Newton, with over twenty artists exhibiting at galleries, eateries, and boutiques on Spring Street. More info to come on details about Karin's exhibit, but in the meantime, thank you Tracey and Andre for signing on to be my first "Art Partner" at TraillWorks!