DOWAGIAC — The warmly lit confines of Round Oak Revisited’s russet-colored dining room will receive an extra splash of color later this month.

The Dowagiac restaurant, located downtown at 137 S. Front St., will host the first-ever Art Pop Stop exhibition, which will be from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20. Nine artists from the local area will set up booths inside the dining area of the restaurant that morning and afternoon, where they will display and sell their works of arts to guests.

Featured artists include:

• Dowagiac’s Kandy Grady, painting

• Dowagiac’s Toy True, painting

• Marcellus’ Stephan Roll, multimedia/sculptures

• Dowagiac’s Marcy Mitchell, painting

• Niles’ Jacob Thar, wood art/painting

• Niles’ MaryBeth Thar, photography

• Niles’ Destiney Smith, painting/drawing

• Decatur’s Jennifer Valentine-Morford, multimedia/jewelry

• Dowagiac’s Robin Rank, painting

In addition to the art display, the event will feature live poetry readings from Smith and Niles’ Marie Brown from noon to 1 p.m.

Admission to the event is free.

The Art Pop is the creation of Grady, a Dowagiac native whose artwork has been featured at the prestigious ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids.

The painter, who currently works in a studio inside downtown’s Mud-Luscious, approached Round Oak Revisited owner Cindy Brosnan last year about possibly hosting a mixer for local artists at the restaurant. The idea gradually morphed into its current form, a one-day pop-up art exhibition. Similar events are commonly hosted in larger cities to test markets, Grady said.

The Dowagiac woman has been recruiting artists for the Art Pop since September.

“I didn’t know many of these artists before, but now that I do, I’m excited about their work and what they will bring to the exhibit,” Grady said.

The art pieces featured at the Jan. 20 event will center around a theme of “emotional granularity,” in which artists will present works that elicit a strong response from people who look at them, be it happiness, anger or something in between, Grady said. All nine featured artists will be present at the gallery, so visitors will have a chance to ask questions about their artwork or their stories.

The event is another way that Grady is looking to bolster Dowagiac’s appreciation for art and the humanities. Last summer, the local artist hosted a public art demonstration, called Art in the Park, where several creators showed off their skills to people passing by Beckwith Park downtown.

With the city looking to place new public artwork on the brick fixtures downtown, and with Southwestern Michigan College always hosting new art galleries on its campus, Grady said the Dowagiac community is primed and ready for an even greater investment in the arts.

“We have wonderful [artist] groups all around us,” she said. “It would be nice for us to have a good, solid artist network here in Dowagiac.”

Grady thanked Brosnan for allowing her and the other participating artists to use the restaurant for the event later this month, adding that the restaurant’s elegant yet subtle décor will make it a perfect venue for the gallery. The kitchen will remain open throughout the exhibit, so customers will be welcome to enjoy a meal or a drink after they get done browsing the artwork in the dining room.

“There will be something for everyone,” Grady said to encourage people to come out Jan. 20. “Each artist is so different with what they do. They are all individuals who are willing to bare their souls.”