A side of art beside the river

Published 6:00 am Thursday, February 11, 2021

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Many people dining at Riverside Cafe on North Main Street in Farmville are treated to more than just a meal when they sit down to eat.

Surrounding patrons in two of the restaurant’s dining rooms are pieces of artwork from Central Virginia Arts (CVA). Recently, the walls have been lined with examples of art from a variety of mediums, including watercolor, acrylic, digital photography, mixed media, oil and linocut.

Riverside Cafe is one of two locations at which CVA has ongoing art exhibitions. The cafe had also been the site of artist receptions prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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CVA Treasurer Paul Hoffman spoke to this in a message to 2021 CVA members at CentralVirginiaArts.org.

“We also hope to resume artists’ receptions at Riverside Cafe,” he stated. “We are considering hosting virtual lectures, but virtual workshops just seem too difficult to hold.”

Parker Wheeler, who owns Riverside Cafe with his wife, Jean Wheeler, shared how the 13-year-old restaurant became a place where CVA artwork is exhibited.

“It got started shortly after we opened, and they came to us, and we both liked the idea of them having a place to hang and sell their paintings, and we get fresh art every two or three months,” he said.

Pictured are pieces of artwork that had been on display at the cafe for the past few months.

PHOTOS OF ARTWORK BY TITUS MOHLER