Cherokee Street 2nd Saturdays is a monthly, street wide, celebration of the vibrant and emerging culture coming out of the Cherokee Street neighborhood. For the September Edition of Cherokee Street 2nd Saturdays, on 9/14/19, we are hosting the opening reception of “Groove Theory” by artist Bharat Ajari. This exhibition is a collection of soulful portraits painted by Ajari of the soul and funk music legends who influenced him through his youth.

"through the use of a vivid color palette and loose, gestural brush strokes, this work seeks to render a series of conceptual portraits of various artists and musicians of color from the 1970s soul and funk era. Within this series, the notion of "color" has multiple meanings which coalesce into an exploration of how light, as reflected through a person, an object or palette can illuminate a vision of how the world can be seen and our place in it." - Bharat Ajari

We are also very proud to announce that Urban Chestnut Brewery will be offering a very limited edition sampling of their Konomi Ale. It’s a collaboration between Masumi Sake and Urban Chestnut Brewing Company, brewed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Japan America Society. Masumi Sake is a highly regarded sake brewery that has been brewed in Suwa, Nagano (St. Louis’s sister city) by the Miyasaka family since 1662. They are also the brewery where “Brewing Association Yeast Number Seven” was 1st discovered and isolated. That strain is now the widest used sake strain in the world, and they have sent us their home yeast with which to brew.

The name:   “Konomi”. 好み“ In everyday parlance, konomi means “to like,” or “to favor.” However, from the tea ceremony comes a slightly different connotation.  In the tea ceremony, konomi is a creative impulse that vivifies something in a new way.”  Which is a perfect pairing for our gallery’s mission.