A Sycamore coffee shop kicked off its first monthly community art showcase Sunday, July 24.
Jewelry makers, artists, and other creatives set up shop in the parking lot of Common Grounds Coffee, Tea & Smoothies.
Jeff Foster is the owner of the coffee shop. Two years ago, in 2020, he talked about his vision for an art initiative and an expansion of the shop’s space.
“Because we need classroom space, we need studio space,” he explained, “we want to have the library and you know, we want to be helping young people create books and sell their artwork. And it just requires more.”
Fast forward to today, the coffee shop is in a bigger space and his mission for the promoting art in the community is well underway. He’s calling the art initiative TribeVibe.
Shannon Erickson is a part of the tribe. She sat under a tent with her husband selling her creations. She owns the company Rhythm and Blooms. Erickson is a BLOOM artist. BLOOM art is a style of acrylic painting. Erickson started working with Foster about a year ago. She said the community needs what Foster is offering.
"There's just something really great about having a music and art initiative. I know they do the poetry and everything. It's wonderful."
Erickson’s husband Mark calls the establishment more than just a coffee shop.
“He's really trying to make it a community space and make art accessible to everybody,” he said.
Eric Bodwell is a leader of the Drink and Draft Poetry Roadshow. The group offers different workshops for writers. Bodwell said his group is attracted to the coffee shop because it is independently owned, and the owner has a mission that enhances the community.
Bodwell isn’t selling anything. Instead, he’s teaching other writers during this event.
“We've got one on like, say, if you have a cliche, how do you kind of break that open?” he said. “And you know, make it more interesting? Or how do you pick a more interesting verb?”
The workshop featured in this event focused on imagery.
Barbara Barrows is the other leader for the poetry group. She said she’s loved Common Grounds since it was in DeKalb, and she also enjoys the new location.
“I just really love Jeff's mission about getting arts into the community and finding a way where it's like… because I think a lot of people have a preconceived idea that holds them back from being an artist or to engage in the arts,” she explained.
She said there’s a need to pull kids and teens together through the arts. Barrow says art is a way for youth to show off their rich interior.
Julie Ruffatti repurposes vintage articles and turns them into jewelry and other accessories. She’s a Common Grounds customer and said that’s how she learned about Foster’s desire to highlight arts in the community. She explains that she wants to support Foster’s mission because she feels that art is a good way for everyone to express themselves.
“I think hobbies and outlets and all this stuff is really important for yourself, discover who you are, and helps you get through things in life too,” Ruffatti said.
Foster said he was pleased with the response for the first event. He pointed out that the shop has made connections with some of the vendors in the community. He said the "tribe" has supported the coffee shop through rain or shine.
"They have stuck with us because they care about my mission for empowering creative youth and creating a place where art and community inspire everything we do," Foster explained.
TribeVibe will take place every third Sunday of each month. Foster is still accepting creatives to the TribeVibe family. Information on how to join can be found on Facebook.
- Yvonne Boose is a current corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project. It's a national service program that places talented journalists in local newsrooms like WNIJ. You can learn more about Report for America at wnij.org.
