PASCO, Wash. – Café Con Arte offers a platform for local artists in the Tri-Cities area. Co-founder Saul Martinez noticed a lack of art galleries in the community and wanted to make a change while also sharing his passion for coffee.
Martinez aimed to create a space that feels like home for everyone. His vision is for a safe space where people can freely express themselves and connect with the local community.
“I want the space to feel like home to everybody,” Martinez said.
Martinez wants to reflect Pasco’s diversity in the Chicano-owned shop.
“With Pasco being 60% Latino, we do want to mirror that,” Martinez said.
As an artist himself, Martinez seeks out other artists to feature in his café with specific criteria in mind.
“So what I’m looking for is art that really captures that really unique sense of voice, that has an element surprise, an element of intrigue in that sense,” Martinez said.
Gerardo Peña, known as Periko The Artist, is the current featured artists at Café Con Arte. Born in Mexico and raised in Washington, Periko brings a personal touch to his artwork. One of Martinez’s favorite pieces from Periko is, ‘Mi Familia.’
“Mi Familia, a piece capturing his family when he was much younger, navigating America at first. So there’s a lot of turmoil in the piece, a lot of sense of, hanging on to each other just because they don’t know. It’s like bracing for impact,” Martinez said.
Looking ahead, Martinez has aspirations to expand Café Con Arte throughout the Tri-Cities and help other communities.
“Long-term goal is to open up Cafe Con Arte number two, number three. Right. And in these marginalized communities that also deserve a coffee shop, they also deserve a gallery,” Martinez said.
The Art at Cafe Con Arte is constantly rotating, so keep an eye out for new pieces on display.
