Show Photographs in a Cafe?

Unexpectedly I was asked to show my photographs in the Grand Central Bakery in nearby Burien Washington. They have a nicely lighted gallery wall so that sounded like a good place to show 15 or so prints from my "Hangouts" project (see my website www.ronfstop.com for more details.)

Years, well decades, ago I studied with photographer and exceptionally gifted teacher, Nick Hansen.

(By the way, he dropped out of sight a couple of years later. If you know where he went please email me.) He had just put the finishing touches on a portfolio of 20 or so handsomely mounted prints. I asked him what came next and he told me that they would be shown in a local cafe/coffee shop.

"Cafe? Why not in a gallery?" His reply was that there were two reasons. One, that it is really, really difficult to get work in a gallery. Two, he would continue to shop that project around to the local galleries that show photography but that more people will see it in a busy cafe/coffee shop anyway -- and that having the work seen was his immediate goal.

That made a lot of sense to me and still does. I want to have my work seen. The shows I have had in galleries were delicious and I'm proud of them. That said, Grand Central Bakery is a busy place indeed and I'll bet that 10 times as many people will see my prints there.

Drop in and have a look -- their scones and sandwiches are very good. 626 SW 152nd St, Burien, WA