Art and beer will come together in a creative way this Saturday, March 31 at 7 p.m. at The Bearded Monk. The idea for this free event came about when Wails Worety and Matt Sallack were on the way back from an event they hosted at Dallas’s Curtain Club on Valentine’s Day.

Sallack recalled that the two “were talking about the hustle of being an artist, and coming up with ideas for shows to promote art” when they joked about how well art and beer pair together. From that, Worety said the idea for the event was born, and they thought to have select artists pick a beer and create art, ranging from the silly to the deeply motivated.

“Each artist has selected an individual beer to create an original art piece inspired by it,” Sallack said. “Each of the pieces will be showcased side-by-side at The Bearded Monk. Most, if not all, of the beers featured in the art show will be available for purchase at the Monk. You can enjoy the art and the inspiration for the art simultaneously.”

Fifteen artists will be showcasing work, including Worety, Sallack, Shay Haas, Scott Levings aka Meatpaw, Katie Mont, Brett Rees, Monique McIntyre, Beth Yturri, Heather Mount, Luke Peterson aka Look of the Year, Jenn Johnston, Thomas Rodgers, Hailey Lynn Glass, Ian Nizialek aka YSA, and Matthew Long. There was no limit given to medium, and Sallack and Worety mentioned that attendees will get a range of art at this event, from paintings and drawings to, perhaps, performance art.

“I have not seen any of the artwork as of yet, and I imagine the artwork itself will set the tone,” Sallack said. “I'm honestly curious and excited what people are going to make!”

Worety believes that The Bearded Monk is a welcome spot for budding artists and art appreciators alike.

“We've been planning at hosting more art events there lately,” Worety said. “[The Bearded Monk] gives artists a newer space to display their work in, with a good diverse audience to appreciate it.”

This growth in arts programming ramped up at the end of last year, when co-owner Ben Esely and Sallack discussed what The Bearded Monk could do as a haven for the arts in Denton.

“[Esely] and I have the same goals concerning the arts community in Denton,” Sallack said. “We want to see more opportunities for artists to be able to showcase their work, and more opportunities for Denton folk to enjoy art exhibitions. Ben has always been a supporter of the arts in everything he does. It's a good bet that we will see more art-centric events at Bearded Monk going forward.”

Worety said that YSA will be releasing new music the day before, which will be played throughout the evening. Attendees will also have the opportunity to purchase other local artists’ wares that evening.

“This event is focused on art, but also we want folks to enjoy each others company, meet new friends, discuss beer and what their favorites are,” Sallack said. “I think beer and art have mystical qualities as far as bringing people together like few other things do.”