Our Story
Art is a demanding practice, and it can be difficult to find the right space with the perfect size, supplies, and atmosphere. Our founder understood this when he created San Marcos Art Cafe in 1969. As a young artist in college, Arthur T. Picasso desired nothing more than a dedicated space where he was free to create alongside other creatives. Unfortunately studio spaces were, at the time (and in most places still are) expensive and hard to find. Even at his own small college, the art building was far up a hill, and too difficult to reliably go to and from. So, with the help of his dear artist friend and baker, Sal Riccelli, the two sought out to create the perfect destination for artists, with the combination of a specialized space and yummy food.
Today, San Marcos Art Cafe is the best creative space in the city for artists of all ages and levels. The ample room, community engagement, friendly workers, and great food make it a prime location for project work or group events. On top of facilitating creativity and fine arts in San Marcos through our studio spaces and community art supply collection, we are dedicated to fostering and supporting the community by providing a high-quality space for socialization and hiring local artists and college students.
In addition, we believe in promoting better habits for creatives. Being founded and run mostly by artists, we at San Marcos Art Cafe understand the struggles that come with creating. Artists often struggle with proper hydration and feeding on top of creative burnout. Thanks to our passionate cooks and servers, customers have a reliable source of nutrition in the form of our healthy yet flavorful food and drink, conveniently located mere feet away from the studio in our coffee bar. In addition, artists working in our studios have the chance to meet others like them, providing an opportunity for discussion, critique, the exchange of ideas, and mostly importantly, friendship.
