One of the reasons i get the weekend version of the NY Times is because it provides a pretty comprehensive listing of events during the weekend.
One of the listings that caught my eye was an exhibition of art photography prints by Edward Fausty.
Pretty normal you would think, right ?
Well, this ‘exhibition’ was at a restaurant. The Sawadee Thai restaurant on Newark Av, in Jersey City. (With pretty rave reviews )
It didnt really strike me as an odd venue for an exhibition and i thought we could also ‘grab a bite’ while checking out the prints.
What followed was quite a disappointment 
The food was good, the waiters polite(rude ones really tend to get my goat) and a black/chic decor with live orchids on every table.
What was disappointing was the way, the photographs were arranged. They were on on the 2 side walls with no focussed lighting and no information beside them to indicate that they were ‘Art Prints’ and available for sale for $800 to $1200.
The waitress vaguely knew something about the photographs being available for sale and asked me to talk to the manager at the bar for more details. She also very helpfully pointed out that i could see more prints if i went down the corridor on my way to the loo.
I did go to use the restroom, but only because i wanted to see the additional prints. It was even more irritating.
The corridor lead to the kitchen and was even more dimly lit than the restaurant and i could barely see the pictures. At the end of the corridor in front of the restroom, there were even a couple of paintings from the previous exhibition.
Ok, enough of the cribbing.
What was fantastic was the idea of having an exhibition in a restaurant…I know its been done before by the more expensive / high class joints, but this is the first time i have seen it done by a more regular joint..
Ordinarily, i wouldnt have been able to break the clutter and choose Sawadee. It was the exhibition which got me in. I am sure, there must have been others who come there for the exhibitions, which change on a regular basis by showcasing local artists.
Agreed, it may not be very beneficial for the artist (since neither the waiters nor the manager were well informed nor very motivated to make a sale and the info placard kept on the table looked like a ’special of the day’)…but then again, any publicity is good publicity for the artist.
And ofcourse, the restaurant builds a regular tribe (quoting Seth Godin here ) of patrons.
So if you are a restaurateur or planning a new one, consider using art as a medium to market yourself.
And while i am at it, i would ensure some of the following:
1.) Ensure dimmed lighting in the restaurant with focused lighting on the prints
2.) Conduct a preliminary ‘training session’ for the waiters and staff so that they atleast know the artist’s name
3.) Display the list of past, current and upcoming exhibitions on your website
4.) Develop a subscription list so that regulars can be ‘informed’
Ok. A very long post, so go have fun feeding the 5 senses 
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