Long Beach’s newest art exhibit allows residents to shop for locally sourced paintings, order coffee and enjoy a home-cooked Guatemalan meal all in one place.
Cafe Chapin will host its grand opening on Saturday, Sept. 10, with work from eight local artists adorning its walls. The exhibit will be the first in a monthly series curated by Art, Music and Culture, a Long Beach-based one-man small business that curates and hosts art and music shows throughout Los Angeles County.
Chapin is a common Guatemalan slang term which originated in Spain as a chapín, a style of shoe worn by nobles in the fifteenth century.
Efren Luna often uses his network of artists as a call to action for various causes, the latest being to help boost the Guatemalan family-owned and run cafe. Esvin Orozco and his family have lived in Long Beach for over 18 years, and have long dreamt of expanding their family’s business in Guatemala to the United States, according to Luna.
“Here’s this family who put all their resources together to start something,” Luna said. “The way I see it is they need the support because it’s the mom-and-pop shops, you know, they need the artist support and vice versa, right?”
After graduating from Cal State Long Beach with a Bachelor’s of fine arts in 2007, Luna started curating art shows that combined physical art, music and culture in hopes of finding his own style. The shows were so well received that he has continued to plan and host art shows for over a decade.
He is a longtime advocate for arts in Long Beach, and was voted advocate of the year by the Long Beach Post in 2015.
When he heard that his friend Orozco would be the owner of soon-to-be-open Cafe Chapin, he pitched the idea of making the cafe double as an art venue in order to engage the community. Each month the art on the walls of Cafe Chapin will be switched out for all new pieces, creating a constant opportunity for local artists to sell their work.
“Right now it’s a small group but we’ve only had a month to get it together,” Luna said. “So as we speak, like I’m already thinking, I got to start getting artists for the next month and for the next and the next.”
Each month’s exhibit will be unveiled on the second Saturday of each month at the cafe, accompanied with live music and performances from local artists. On Sept. 10, Cafe Chapin will host Ferri Boy DJ, a Long Beach musical artist. Luna said they also extended an invite to Councilmember Suely Saro, but have not received a response yet.
September’s show will showcase pieces from five artists throughout Long Beach, and three artists from Los Angeles. The paintings submitted embrace Long Beach and Latino culture, depicting calaveras, or sugar skulls, pinup style men and women donning “Long Beach,” “562” and “213” on their glasses.
There is no professional requirement for art, as Luna emphasized that he wants the exhibit to be open to any and all artists. The only guideline is that the art can not contain explicit material, since Cafe Chapin is a family-owned and run business.
“In my shows, there may be someone who’s a self-taught artist alongside someone with a college art degree,” Luna said. “I just feel like you know what, it’s an opportunity for both [artists] but also at the same time, it’s acknowledging both individual’s passions.”
As of now, there is no set time for each exhibit, as this month will act as an experiment for future exhibits. Luna said they are also exploring the idea of hosting themed exhibits, where each entry follows the same sentiment.
The cafe has enough space on its walls to display art from 20 artists at once, if each person submits one to two pieces, Luna said. Submissions can range from drawings, paintings, photography, and mixed media.
“My reason for doing this is to include people, bring people together, different cultures, have people in different backgrounds and it’s just so powerful that I’m excited,” Luna said. “‘It’s literally starting from scratch and it’s amazing to be a part of.”
Anyone interested in submitting their art for a Cafe Chapin exhibit can contact Luna through his Instagram (@artmusicandculture). Pieces can be purchased by cash, checks, CashApp, Zelle, PayPal and Venmo. Art purchased will be split 35/65 between the artist and curator.
Performance artists who are interested in participating in a second Saturday event at the cafe should also contact Luna.
Cafe Chapin will host its grand opening offering food samples, coffee, music and a new art exhibit on Saturday, Sept. 10 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 1436A Cherry Ave.
