CONCOURSE — Art lovers in The Bronx will soon get to grab some pastries with their paintings.
The Bronx Museum of the Arts will open a long-awaited cafe in the building's lobby on Aug. 2 that serves pastries, wines, coffee, sandwiches and salads, a feature that the institution describes as "a long overdue amenity for both the museum and the community."
Administrators hope the cafe lets visitors stay at the museum longer, rather than leaving every time they get hungry or thirsty, and it can also serve as a place for residents to eat or meet up with friends, Community and Public Programs Director Lauren Click said.
It will be open from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays and from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Fridays. The cafe will be closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
The cafe is still nameless, but the museum is hoping that community members will take care of that problem for them.
Staffers have launched a contest to pick the name of the cafe, with the winner receiving a free lunch for six people and bragging rights. The runner-up will get two tickets to a paid event at the museum.
From now through July 1, people can submit their ideas for the cafe name online here, and an internal museum committee will then select what they consider to be the three best.
Part two of the competition will take place from July 6 through 10, when the public can select its favorite name out of the three using a poll on the museum's website. The winner will be announced at the museum's July 15 open house.
José Ortíz, deputy director of The Bronx Museum of the Arts, said in a statement that the cafe "presents opportunities to expand our programming and allows us to partner locally and contribute positively to the Bronx economy.”
