When Walter’s Café opened in downtown Brunswick last September, Dede Wilder was chosen to organize exhibitions that would benefit local artists and the restaurant. Over the past few months, she has proven that culinary passion and art-making can flourish together in the right hands. 

The menu features farm-to-table food, but freshness is just a taste of what the dishes serve — the goal is to offer the whole sensory experience, including visual pleasure. 

“Without art on the walls, it’s just not the same,” Wilder said. “Customers sense the quality. If we just hung posters, it wouldn’t compare.” 

‘You add a painting, and it changes the vibe’

As an architect with a studio degree from Smith College, Wilder has worked on renovation plans with Walter Loeman, the café’s co-owner, for years. When he stumbled on the Tontine Mall location, she helped with the design and lighting. 

“I believe in how art builds energy and fosters growth within a community,” Wilder said. “You add a painting, and it changes the vibe — it’s evident worldwide; an area becomes hip when art enters restaurants and galleries.” 

Now, Wilder directs the café’s visiting artist program, which features five to six shows per year. The aim is to support the business and the town’s creative community by giving the walls some decor and artists exposure. 

So far, reception has been positive, with foot traffic growing. The restaurant plans to expand to dinner service this spring, starting with pop-up events by invitation only, then easing into twice nightly each week. 

“Our dining plan is simple. We’ll serve high-quality products at a fair price,” Loeman said. “We’ve thought about a pick-three option, where customers choose one of our proteins, vegetables and grains to make an entrée. That way, they can mix and match or buy repeatable meals.” 

None of the proceeds from art sold directly benefit the café, though Wilder keeps a 20% commission to continue her engagement work. For each artist, she creates signage, curates selections and sends email blasts to locals, encouraging them to visit the opening reception. 

“We hope to plant more art upstairs and leading down to the café,” Loeman said. “So people feel like they’re entering a special place, not just a typical venue.”  

Finding creatives was not always easy.

Wilder attended the Brunswick Art Fair last fall, where she met Christine Covert, whose artwork was featured during the restaurant’s soft opening. Later, she discovered Katie Bubier from Harpswell, visited her studio and realized that the marine-inspired acrylics would complement the café’s atmosphere. 

Artists like Timothy Wilson Crawford, currently on display, now contact Wilder to request a show instead of the other way around.

Artist spotlight

Although Wilder does not consider herself an artist, she is, admittedly, captivated by beauty. Previously, she was a silversmith Downeast before running Maine Arts Publishing. 

With an eye attuned to value, Wilder recognized it instantly in Covert’s abstract, figurative painting. 

“Art helps me understand this beautiful, complicated and messy world,” Covert said. “There is nothing [that my] work is intended to look like. I speak in straight and curved lines and create openings into a new world that’s largely unfettered.” 

Bubier, whose winter collection “It’s A Little Bit Fishy” sold many canvases at the café, grew up watching her neighbor, Franny, settle into a worn fold-out chair at Garrison Cove and paint the waves. Catching crabs and slinging mud at low tide were a few of her foundational memories.

“Art is about capturing a memory,” Bubier said. “It’s the sound of your heart when you see the sun setting and the grace you feel when you share that with someone you love. (…) I love to capture fleeting emotion, like when your dog shakes its tail at the beach … or when you discover a new creature.” 

Wilson’s collection, “The Geometry of Abstraction,” features vibrant pastels. His style combines bold colors with dynamic compositions, striving to evoke joy.

Swing by this spring to take a peek while Wilson’s work is still on display. In May, the collection will rotate to feature shots by Bath photographer Michael Fillyaw.