Pairings

With a mumbled greetingI drop my backpack and make a beeline to the coffee machine, ever-faithful savior of my morning sanity. This is no generic gas station or even Starbucks coffee. On-brand as always, the City Gallery's caffeinated elixir is about as local as it gets, proudly processed down the street at Tinker Coffee Co. And, let me tell you, it is good. I'm no coffee connoisseur, but I feel like "robust," "smooth," and "just really fantastic, okay," are all appropriate descriptors.

In the spirit of this Friday's Food Con, Harrison Center artist and curator Nathan Foxton led one of the heroes who make up Tinker Coffee Co. through the Harrison Gallery last night, and together they've created something wonderful: a pairing of artwork and drink. Stephen Hall of Tinker recently returned from a coffee and cocktails competition in Amsterdam, and, in collaboration with Dan Burns of Ball and Biscuit, translated paintings to read as taste. You can see for yourself the artworks with their corresponding beverages on the title cards at the "Petal Pushers" group show in the Harrison Gallery this Friday.

To experience more of the Harrison Center's interaction with the local food scene, look no further than tomorrow's special First Friday: Food Con. This engaging event will have food trucks, urban farming information, presentations by humanitarian food organizations, and, my personal favorite, chickens and goats in the courtyard!

Whether they're introducing paintings to the higher power that ordained them (artists owe their craft to coffee), or bringing the public face-to-face with their food and its consequences, the Harrison Center is actively integrating local businesses and the community into their passion for art. Don't miss Food Con on April 7.