Local cafe promotes art, kids' programs

POLSON — For Julie Berry, director of Coalition for Kids, the opening of the Big Sky Bistro and Art Bar is a dream come true. If it does well, and early indications are it could, her highest hopes will be fulfilled.

“Looking at what our community needs in relation to the kids and activities and how to do that, this is what we came up with,” Berry said last week while sitting in the spacious interior of the Main Street building. “In terms of sustainability, this is what we’re doing. The idea is to make the coalition less dependent on federal and state funding, which is all we’ve depended on for the last 10 years.”

The beautiful interior, with natural light filtering in from the room’s large windows, encompasses all that Berry has thought up: breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, snacks, activities and of course, art. First opened on Nov. 22, the Bistro already held a Thanksgiving buffet, employs nine local people and is located in the building that previously held Maxwell’s Restaurant at 325 Main Street. Berry rents the structure from Terry Maxwell, the owner of the now-defunct restaurant.

“We were looking for space, maybe not on this scale, but it’s an amazing opportunity, one of those doors which opens and says ‘there you go,’” Berry said. “Terry lowered the rent for a while to help get the business established. He’s been very gracious in this whole process.”

Gracious might be an apt description for what Berry has tried to establish in the community with Coalition for Kids, a group that envisions “a reservation-wide community that is spiritually, mentally, physically and socially healthy; one that nurtures and provides safe places for children to live and grow, and a place where cultural diversity is respected.”

The Bistro is certainly such a place, but it’s not just for kids (though it’s proceeds do fund programs for children and the bistro itself). People of all ages are invited to enjoy the food, free wireless Internet, open-mic nights and opportunities to paint, with all the supplies provided.

“We’ll have workshops in the backroom, birthday parties and an art menu where you can purchase a certain package,” Berry said. “You can test out [painting] without purchasing all the equipment and materials. You can use the equipment for a minimal fee and it becomes affordable for artists that don’t have a place to set up.”

The art bar aspect of the bistro reflects Berry’s personal interest in art — many of her pieces adorn the walls — and what she’s learned from the Coalition for Kids’ Leadership in Art Program.

“We teach principles that you can take away through life,” she said. “If you do some good work, you’re consequences are always good. Art comes in as the relationship between cause and effect and art.

Art is also therapeutic; people creating art in a group setting let go, verbalize their struggles and triumphs. It’s a good way to share stories, life experiences and there is lots of research that’s been done about the positive effects of art.”

As time goes on, Berry hopes the art on the wall will be replaced by pieces made on-site or by artists who want to hang their pieces in the gallery. If sold, 30 percent of the work’s sale price goes to the Coalition for Kids, she said.

White paper placemats at every seat and watercolor pencils allow patrons to explore some of their own creativity, Berry said, regardless of whether it’s a doodle or a piece worthy of the Louvre.

“Our educational system has become so obsessed with testing, so kids are not as creative,” Berry said. “We’re hoping to create an avenue for youth to express that and explore their creativity.”