Interview & Curation- Robert Genovese

Robert Genovese and his wife Adele, owners of the popular Montclair coffee shop Local, decided to give back to the community by opening up their space to local artists, offering art residencies for artists to show and sell their work. In addition to the high daily foot traffic, the Local hosts "a rich blog which features each artist so we can also learn a bit more about the genesis of each respective artistic journey as well as the individual works. We also leverage our social media for good, to share these amazing stories with our local community in and outside of the shop." In their commitment to supporting the art community, they offer commission-free sales, though they do recommend a donation to their social cause partner Toni's Kitchen.

We asked Robert Genovese to curate a group show of Artspan artists, and he chose the theme of Street Art.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background? Do you have ties or experience with the art world?

Thanks so much for reaching out and providing this opportunity! Growing up in NYC, I was fortunate to have the art world on display throughout its many museums and galleries. Also, the streets and subways of NYC were a living gallery onto themself and we appreciated all that was for view. Early 80s was such an integral time with innovative pop artists like Haring, transformational artists like Basquiat and then the pure gravity of street artists like Kenny Scharf and Zephyr - in retrospect, it all kinda blows your mind.

What a wonderful and generous idea to share your space with artists! How did you come up with the idea?

I am so thankful for the art world as the medium expresses in imagery what words sometimes and often fail to do. The concept is pure in providing space for this community to share a bit of themselves through their work. Additionally, we encourage each artist to support the giveback model so a portion of sales will go back into the community. The beautifully constructed magnetic patina was incorporated into the shop as it allows for easy and regular posting of art. Also, we keep the shop super-minimalist in design so the eye and mind can be at ease as well as take in the work.

How do you find the artists you feature? Do you have an application process, or is it more of a curated procedure in which you pick the artists involved?

Initially, we solicited through regular community messaging but in a very short period of time, we now have a schedule that reaches out to 2023. We do not curate aside from turning away any work that it hurtful, hateful or defamatory. Our artists have ranged from a pre-teen amateur to an 82 year old established and well-known talent.

Do you find that you are drawn to certain genres and subjects because they fit with your vision for how the coffee shop serves and reflects your community?

Certainly, I am drawn to work that captures a bit of the magic and nostalgia of NYC Street Art as well as some Abstract Expressionism but we purposely keep the filter off as discovery is becoming such a lost art in our world of algorithmically driven outcomes.

To what extent do you try to keep it local?

It’s funny because we called the shop local as we set out to be a specialty neighborhood coffee shop in Montclair but also exist an integral part of our community through locally driven programs, public school support, cause-related initiatives and pay it forward projects. But as we’re all aware, the world has become a lot smaller - as this current pandemic has taught us. So, aren’t we all local? Shouldn’t all of our businesses and ventures incorporate the community into the planning and execution? A bit campy, I know… but we see clearly now how all of this can all end so the time is now to act local in anything we do.

Have you hosted or had any interest from artist who work in fields other than visual arts? From musicians, performance artists, or poets, for instance?

Not really. Coffee shops sometimes have this reputation for having a musician in the shop, strumming a guitar or there’s an evening of poetry but that isn’t us from a brand perspective. I will go on record for saying that Smelly Cat by Phoebe Buffay is arguably my fav but we took Local in a different direction. One of my favorite projects was last year when we had street artist NewYork Romantic chalk his famous hearts outside the shop to celebrate our 3rd anniversary and love for the community.

Your curated group show is street art; what draws you to this genre of work?

Mostly because it is comforting and reminds me of a moment in time. NYC was/is this truly unique environment with different people, religions, food, art, music…the list goes on. It is truly a model for how our world can get to a better place. Art is ultimately how we articulate these challenges, the struggles, and the beauty of it all.

If you're in Montclair, stop by Local for some coffee and some art!

Robert Genovese's Group Show: