Valparaiso is home to a lot of interesting businesses that host many exciting events to bring the community together. One business in particular does so by hosting Artist Reception events for local artists where they offer free treats for the public during the event.
On Saturday, Blackbird Cafe kicked off another Artist Reception event featuring local Valparaiso artist, Josh Christian. The type of artwork that was featured included photographs taken from around the Northwest Indiana Region. Every photo was taken by the featured artist, Josh Christian, and is available to be purchased at $3.00 per photo. The event is open to the public, and it is a great opportunity to admire local photography and appreciate the simple things around our Region.
“I’ve been taking pictures for a long time,” said artist Josh Christian. “I grew up around the Valparaiso area and have known Dan, the owner of Blackbird, for a long time so I am really happy to be here tonight with all of my photographs.”
The local cafe has been featuring artists work for many years, and it brings the community together in a way that makes Blackbird a special place in Valparaiso. Artists are able to showcase their work for a profit without giving Blackbird any of their earnings. It creates a special bond between the artists, the cafe, and customers while also allowing people to learn about local artists while lounging in the cafe, enjoying a steaming cup of coffee.
“This is my first time at Blackbird and seeing the art on the wall immediately led me to think that this is a very welcoming and community-based cafe,” said customer Jonathan White. “I believe that it is important for a business to be involved and support the local art industry because it creates an awesome vibe within the community.”
The art event also allowed the employees at Blackbird to learn about the artwork and connect with local artists. In fact, one of the employees had already purchased a photograph featuring Chicago within the first few moments of the event starting.
“It’s important to feature artists here at the cafe because every artist deserves a chance to get recognized,” said Blackbird Barista, Abigail Prentiss. “If this event is so important to these artists, then it should be important to the people in the community.”
To learn more about Blackbird and to support more local artists like Josh Christian, visit their website or check out their cafe located on Lincolnway!
