Porchlight Unveils Its First Art Exhibit: “Meet the 21st Century Cocktailians”

By Chilled Magazine

Over 70 Whimsical Caricatures by Saloon Artist Jill DeGroff to Honor Bartending Personalities and Bon Vivants, October 1 to October 31, 2015 Featured on Porchlight’s Walls, from Its Signature Porch to Its Cozy Game Room.

Porchlight, the first stand-alone cocktail bar by Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), today announces its debut art exhibit, “Meet the 21st Century Cocktailians.” Created by saloon artist Jill DeGroff, it features more than 70 caricatures of top bartending personalities and bon vivants. It will be on display on Porchlight’s walls, from its signature porch to its cozy game room, for guests to enjoy from October 1 through October 31, 2015.

The exhibit is organized into sections, “Bon Vivants,” “Dream Bar,” “Merry Souls,” “Geeks,” “Dark Bar,” “After Midnite,” and “Musicians,” and also includes two murals comprised of multiple characters. Select artwork will be for sale, with DeGroff donating a portion of the proceeds to Share Our Strength’s NoKidHungry.org, with one portrait’s sale benefiting GiveThemLight.org with 100 percent of its proceeds.

The caricatures include: Dale DeGroff (King Cocktail), Gaz Regan (Author and Mixologist), Jim Meehan (PDT), Sean Muldoon (The Dead Rabbit), Jack McGarry (The Dead Rabbit), Julie Reiner (Clover Club/Flatiron Lounge), Ivy Mix (Leyenda, American Bartender of the Year 2015), Greg Boehm (Cocktail Kingdom), Maxwell Britten (Maison Premiere), Arturo O’Farrill (Grammy Award Winning Pianist), Dan Levinson (Jazz Clarinetist and Saxophonist), David Wondrich (Historical Oracle), Hamilton Morris (VICE), Jeff “Beachbum” Berry (Tiki Guru), Ted “Dr. Cocktail” Haigh (Cocktail Pundit) and various characters from Elaine’s and other watering holes.

“We are honored to kick off our Porchlight art exhibit series with Jill DeGroff’s humorous portraits that combine a keen eye, a sharp wit and the ideal subjects for a bar. While Porchlight has attracted cocktail enthusiasts with its drinks, we look forward to also welcoming contemporary art lovers, who frequent West Chelsea for its renowned galleries.”
– Mark Maynard-Parisi, a 23-year USHG veteran who created Porchlight with Danny Meyer

“I’m delighted to exhibit my work at Porchlight. Anyone coming in to enjoy the bar’s delectable cocktails will be surrounded by the greatest characters of New York— bartenders, musicians, writers, and all species of bon vivants—and the chance to encounter their real life doppelgängers at the bar or taking double-selfies beside their portraits.”
– Jill DeGroff


About Jill DeGroff
Jill DeGroff is an itinerant saloon artist who uses the street and cafes as her studio, portraying artists, barflies, musicians, writers, and other denizens of the night. Much of her work pays tribute to luminaries in the food and beverage industry and has gained a following among craft cocktailians around the world, over 400 of whom she has caricatured. Jill is the author of “LUSH LIFE; Portraits from the Bar,” a collection of portraits and stories from the colorful characters she has met over the years. Jill lives in New York and is married to award-winning author and mixologist Dale DeGroff, whom she credits for getting her started on this exciting journey.

For more information, go to PorchLightBar.com

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