Satisfy Your Appetite for Art

You’ve gotta eat anyway, right? So today, why not treat yourself to some grub at one of the area’s choicest joints and do some good for local art while you’re at it. Charitable eating doesn’t taste any different, but it feels great. 

For the fifth consecutive year, Eating for Art will raise funds for local arts programming and public art in the Kingfield and Lyndale neighborhoods through money spent at cooperating eating establishments. Participating businesses will donate a percentage of today’s sales to the Kingfield Neighborhood Association and the Lyndale Neighborhood Association to help fund local art. This year’s funds are tagged to benefit public art projects along the soon-to-be reconstructed Nicollet Avenue. 

While it’s true the City of Minneapolis has already committed $160,000 for public art along the avenue, the KFNA and LNA saw fit to lend help through Eating for Art as well, with the hope of creating a truly beautiful reflection of the community along the length of the new and improved Nicollet.  

Nicollet Avenue’s facelift will not come without some headaches, of course. And while the reconstruction project may prove to temper sales at Nicollet Avenue businesses for a time, several restaurants along the avenue chose to participate in today’s Eating for Art and contribute to the project anyway.

Heather Bray of said her restaurant chose to participate because it owes its very existence to the support of the community. 

“This is our opportunity to give back to them since they've given us such amazing support in our first year,” Bray said.

Other participating restaurants on Nicollet include , , and Goda Cafe. Restaurants off Nicollet but still very much in with Eating for Art include Bryant Lake Bowl, , , Cause Spirits & Soundbar, Champions, Crema Cafe, El Meson and.

KFNA executive director Sarah Linnes-Robinson calls Eating for Art a win/win, as local restaurants benefit from new customers, the nonprofits KFNA and LNA benefit from arts funding, and residents benefit from the rewards of full bellies and full hearts. (Technically, that may be a win/win/win.) 

Past years have raised as much as $2,500 for local art, but this year there are twice as many participating restaurants as usual, so Linnes-Robinson said the organizations hope to raise twice as much as well.  

Get out there and satisfy your appetite for art, Southwest.