Butler Art Center back in action
In the midst of trying to relaunch the Butler Art Center after an unexpected closure over the winter, Terry Hagan, a center past president, met with a business owner who wanted to launch his own Butler nonprofit.
Terrance Kaiserman, who founded a technology patent company in New York, has resided in Butler for more than a decade, and said his idea to start a coffee company that employs people with disabilities could be a good partner to the art center.
The Butler Coffee Lab will have its debut at the Butler Art Center’s grand reopening gallery reception on the evening of Friday, March 24, at the facility, 344 S. Main St. Hagan said it will be a game changer for the area’s art community.
“I think it’s going to be a great relationship,” Hagan said. “They are going to pay rent here while they are here. It’s going to change the art center.”
According to Hagan, the art center will return to what will hopefully be regular activity with its gallery opening March 24, which brings back a number of artists who have displayed works at the art center in the past.
If You’re Going
WHAT: “Then and Now” gallery opening reception
WHEN: 7 to 9 p.m. March 24, followed by an afternoon session from 1 to 4 p.m. March 25
WHERE: Butler Art Center, 344 S. Main St.
In January, the boiler of the Masonic Temple on Main Street which houses the center, failed and forced all of the facility’s tenants out until February, when a new boiler was installed.
On Thursday, March 9, Hagan and other art center administrators began hanging artwork, which included paintings, photographs and other mixed-media productions.
“Everybody we called and invited accepted,” Hagan said. “They are all people who have exhibited before. We’ve gotten great support and we’re all enthused.”
The Butler Coffee Lab will have a space at the grand opening receptions. Kaiserman said the idea has been in the works for about four months, and the Butler Art Center provided an opportunity to test out the model.
Additionally, Kaiserman suggested that the art center have a future show featuring art created by individuals with disabilities.
“With the art center, here is another community with the artists that we could help with,” Kaiserman said. “The idea was to do an art show here for folks with disabilities. If it’s pure expression, why not?”
Nadine Tripodi, one of the creators of Butler Coffee Lab and Kaiserman’s wife, said the idea for the nonprofit was to give back to several communities.
“There is a lot of need,” Tripodi said. “We really want to work with people whose employment opportunities are limited.”
Kaiserman said he is also working on creating a permanent space for a Butler Coffee Lab on West Cunningham Street, which will follow the model at the Butler Art Center.
He said the lab will employ people from The Arc of Butler County and the Blind Association of Butler and Armstrong, and the profits from coffee sales will be donated to various organizations.
“We’ll be exploring more how we can put profits back into the community,” Kaiserman said.
The opening reception for the “Then and Now” gallery takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. March 24, followed by an afternoon session from 1 to 4 p.m. March 25.
