Business & Tech

Toast Birmingham Launches Art Garden Project

The first panels featuring Detroit-inspired graffiti art from local expressionists are installed and ready to view.

 

Patrons of Toast Birmingham will no longer have to look at the ongoing construction on Pierce Street while they enjoy their meals or libations now that the first Art Garden panels are installed.

The artwork, displayed in the window of the Blue Room during a special event Thursday, features the talents of Kobie Solomon, a.k.a. Rift. And it is among several Detroit-themed pieces that business owners hope will help customers forget about the cranes, construction signs and torn up gravel now adorning downtown.

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“We thought that this would be a nice distraction for our customers,” said Paul Fradeneck, a manager at Toast and Art Garden organizer. “We already have had a great response to and support for the idea from our diners, other businesses and the city.”

Construction began last month between Maple Road and Merrill Street, as well as Merrill Street, between Pierce Street and South Old Woodward Avenue. New concrete, sidewalks and streetlights are some of the improvements that should be complete by Memorial Day.

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The Art Garden, sponsored by the Bank of Birmingham, consists of 60 feet of construction panels that are divided into six-by four-foot sections, at the front of the restaurant. The restaurant will unveil the work of various artists each week on two panels. Bolyard Lumber of Birmingham provided the supplies

Once construction is complete, the panels will be auctioned off during the Pierce Street Block Party on July 13. Proceeds will benefit the art and music programs in the Birmingham School District through the Birmingham Education Foundation (BEF), which raises funds for academic excellence and innovation.

A full schedule of the weekly unveilings is available on the Toast Facebook page.


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