A Taste of Area Talent A stop by Gallery 202 provides a delectable treat for both the ears and the palate - September/October 2006 By Emily Hanna Please go to Westerville Magazine or the direct page click here for the online article, but if the link is no longer active, this is the article. Last May, Gallery 202, Partners in Art, Inc. started a Breakfast with the Arts program the third Saturday of each month that will continue through October. The event showcases local musical talent, from a classical guitarist to a brass quintet, and allows guests to talk with performers. Breakfast with the Arts, which takes place from 10 a.m.-12 p.m., was the brainchild of Gallery 202¹s Founder and Executive Director Renee Kropat. "Our name is Partners in Arts, not Partners in Visual Arts, so I thought 'Let's expand the concept to music with Breakfast with the Arts,'" Kropat says. The gallery's treasurer, D.D. Parker, says she felt the most important thing was to get people to see the eclectic gallery and also educate people about music. "We just wanted to get people to come in if they're walking by on a Saturday morning," Parker says. "They can grab a cup of coffee and a bite for breakfast and see the gallery Š and hear some great entertainment." Thus far, the breakfast has seen great success. With audiences steadily increasing, Kropat expects growth to continue. Kropat attributes the growth to the fact that often performance art lovers are very different than visual art enthusiasts, so having musical guests brings in a new crowd to appreciate the artwork. She also realizes that an arts-driven program is perfect for Westerville right now and hopes the new arts focus can bring people to the community. ³The concept is the right timing for Westerville to show the community how the arts play into the community and the economic advantage there is,² Kropat says. "Westerville's image is changing. We're trying a new slogan: 'Arts Westerville ­ A creative, cultural community.'" "We want to bring people here. "It's a destination place," Parker adds. "I think we all believe it can grow into something big," says Michael Isla, the program's first performer and talent coordinator. "I'd like to see it as a year-round event or even weekly instead of monthly." Bigger plans are already in the works, as musicians have begun requesting performance time for next year. The program¹s success stems directly from its unique-to-the-area concept: a coffeehouse setting where artists display their talents and aspiring artists and music fans have personal conversations with the performers. "That's very important because it inspires someone who¹s a music aficionado or someone wanting to try out a new instrument. [The musician is] not somebody on a pedestal; they're not a famous musician on a CD. They're someone there who you can talk to and learn from," Isla says. And that is the main focus for Isla when he finds performers: someone who can entertain and educate at the same time. He says he draws from people with education backgrounds, from university professors to music camp instructors to private lesson teachers, who can speak to the audience in a concise yet enjoyable way. It's proven to be fruitful for people of all ages ­ from the 8-year-old girl who wanted to play the harp and learned more from harpist Trista Hill to the 80-year-old man who maybe just wanted to know a little more about Isla's styling of Latin American and classical guitar music. "If you strip away American life, it all comes down to arts and culture," Isla says. "When everybody's so focused on war, terrorism, economics and other things, the need for [music] is the one thing we can agree upon." And that agreement about music has grown into something enjoyable residents can share right in their community. Kropat recalls one of her most rewarding moments throughout the series came when a woman told her she had the option to get a massage or go to the breakfast. And while she chose the breakfast, Kropat says, "she told me, 'I feel like I got a massage.'" As she should ­ after all, music is known not only for its entertainment but also for its healing qualities. For more information on Breakfast with the Arts and Gallery 202, visit www.gallery202online.com or stop by the gallery at 38 N. State St. from 12-8 p.m. Wednesdays, 12-4 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays. Emily Hanna is a contributing writer.