Coffee, tea or art shop
Curator changes atmosphere
By Lisa Donovan
Senior Editor
It was like doing business at the
dinner table. An aromatic blend of
coffee and tea filtered into the air as
Rob Benton and an artist and her
young son perused and discussed
her portfolio at the front table by
the front window in The Coffee
House, 1324 P St.
Benton, Coffee House curator,
said he likes to gel acquainted with
both the artist and artwork before
making a decision to display the
work at the coffee shop.
"I enjoy the artist, just as much
as showing his work,” he said.
Benton began his job as curator
when the coffee shop first opened,
about three years ago. A University
of Nebraska-Lincoln student at the
time, he worked as a night and
morning manager at the coffee shop,
as well as selecting artwork for dis
play.
For the first six months of his cu
ratorship, Benton worked without
pay. After that, he charged a 25
percent commission on the sold
works.
“It’s (still) a hobby because I’m
putting more money into it than
making (money),’’ he said.
The cost of driving to meet with
artists and paying for ruined pieces
often leaves his coYnmission pock
ets close to empty.
But Benton says it’s worth it.
He enjoys meeting the people
and seeing the creative process in
motion.
And Benton gets to meet a lot of
artists — with a rotating display
schedule of five weeks, his ap
pointment book is pretty full.
Usually there isn’t a problem at
tracting artists to display and sell
their works at the coffee shop.
Benton said he tries to circulate his
business card around town and at
the Coffee I louse, and usually art
ists will call him. Then he and they
just meet and talk.
“I try to really do it on a friendly
basis.”
Along with the friendliness, Ben
ton said he insists on professional
ism.
“When you’re working with art
ists, some are professional, and
some will come in with another
piece when you’re just finishing
hanging the show.”
And while Benton said he’s fairly
flexible, organization and the pres
entation of ready-to-show pieces
are important, because it shows
pride in the work
According to Benton, an impor
tant part of being a professional
artist is having pride in your work.
A lot of artists think that they
need professional training, but that’s
not true, Benton said.
When Benton began working at
The Coffee I louse, he was pursu
ing a bachelor of fine arts degree at
UNL, and a lot of his main sources
for the art displays were students.
Since he graduated in May 1989,
Benton said he has lost a lot of his
contacts. However, he said he’s
very interested in hiring students.
Benton noted that students
working on their master of fine arts
degrees are at a good point to
exhibit and even sell their art.
“When they’re working on their
master’s degree, they’re really con
centrating, yet they have to risk
being different.”
Also, these students have weeded
out many pieces for their thesis.
Some of these pieces are very pre
sentable works of art, he said.
Along with a variety of artists
(he boasts that the age range has
varied from four to 64 years old),
Benton said he has displayed al
most every type of art form - and is
always willing to expand.
Benton said he has displayed
sculpture, mixed media, ceramics,
woodcuts, lithograpy, etching and
many others.
The space in the Coffee I louse is
conducive to displaying many art
works, he said.
“This is . . . close to a gallery
space,” he said “It’s real important
to have art in something other than
a gallery. Everyday people (who)
wouldn’t have time to go to a
gallery get to see art.”
The rotating display allows the
coffee shop’s atmosphere to change,
Benton said.
Since he has no desire to make
subtle transitions from show to
show, Benton said, many times he
changes the show “drastically.”
That way people w ill take notice
— whether they want to or not, he
said.
“People (who) come here to
buy a cup of coffee then . . . find
themselves looking at a piece of
artwork."
r—. —■■■■■■... ■' ——
David Fahl»son/Daily Nebraskan
The Coffee House, 1324 P Sf., features works by local artists
on a rotating basis.
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