Farmers & Distillers Hosts their first Art Reveal: An Evening with the Artists

Step into our latest restaurant, Farmers & Distillers, and it is readily apparent that art plays a vital role in the dining experience and culture. From the expansive 36-foot mural of Mount Vernon and the distillation process, with multiple miniatures of George Washington whimsically working, to the modern-day portrait of George with a man bun, original artwork is built into the very foundation of our newest farmer-owned restaurant.

Farmers & Distillers honored the artists and their contributions last week, with an ART REVEAL: An Evening with the Artists. Invited guests had an opportunity to tour the restaurant with the artists and learn about their process, inspiration, and details of their unique artwork. They also spoke with owner, Dan Simons, about why we are growing our interest in original art and artists.

“At our restaurants, we are all about making things by hand and from scratch. It starts with our food of course, but also includes our artwork,” says Dan Simons. “We are delighted to work with artists in creating original pieces of artwork that help us tell the tale of our restaurants.”

Art has always been an important part of the design process for Farmers Restaurant Group, with each restaurant having it’s own unique and original pieces of art. But, it is clear that the importance of art in our environment is continually increasing. With Farmers & Distillers, we have taken our interest in original artwork to a whole new level. We collaborated with local and regional artists on original pieces of art that reflect the spirit of our first president, George Washington, and tell the story of how his life and the lives of those around him at Mount Vernon inspired us in the creation of Farmers & Distillers.

The artists whose work we commissioned for Farmers & Distillers include:

Aaron Pexa created hand-cast glass sconces from a previous installation, The Lucent Parlor, that help bring the magic of Mt. Vernon’s pre-electric interiors to the General’s Parlor, an intimate, 16-seat private dining room tucked away on the lower level in Farmers & Distillers.

Kiki Carrillo painted the 36-foot mural in the center of our main dining room, Georgie Distills, that tells the history of distillation through the ethereal presence of George Washington, with views of his Mount Vernon estate and Washington, DC.

Nathan Loda painted the modern-day portrait of Young Washington with a man-bun featured in the main dining room. This is not his first work for FRG. Loda is also the artist behind the striking Headless Horse host-stand artwork found at Founding Farmers Tysons.

Noella Cotnam has sculpted animals for each of our restaurants. Her frolicking gophers, and mama and baby owls at Farmers & Distillers are joining a family that includes a ram, sheepdog, lamb, pig, cow, duck, goat, and bear.

Ronald Jackson has two pieces of commissioned work currently underway and not yet in the restaurant, portraits of the enslaved cooks from the Mount Vernon kitchen in the mid to late 1700’s.

For more information about the artists, their artwork, and few videos of the process, please go to our Artists page at Farmers & Distillers. Or come on by for a meal or a drink and see them in person. Reserve a table today.

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