A few days before locking the doors to his NuLu art gallery for good, Chuck Swanson stood among stacks of marked-down canvasses, prints and sculptures — unsold pieces abandoned by artists over the years to collect dust.
Swanson, preparing to retire and close the art gallery on Dec. 31 after two decades of business, watched out the window of his storefront at 638 E. Market St. pointing at people strolling by in the drizzling rain.
"Those people walk by but they don't even look in here," he said, something that's become a reality for many artists and galleries in Louisville.
Back when he first settled in the neighborhood — when the area was called East Downtown or East Market District, when locals scoffed at the word "NuLu," and when there wasn't a single parking meter in sight down entire blocks scattered with vacant buildings — Swanson said it felt like half of the people who wandered into the neighborhood came specifically for the art.
In its heyday about 15 years ago, Swanson said the few restaurants in the area, including Mayan Cafe, often thanked him and other gallery owners, such as Tim Faulkner and Billy Hertz, for bringing people, and money, to their doorsteps on the first Friday of the month for the First Friday Hop, when hoards of people would ride the free trolley to the various galleries in the neighborhood.
"In the neighborhood business association meetings, the restaurants would tell the gallery owners that every First Friday was their busiest of the month — that it rivaled Derby or Mother's Day," Swanson recalled. "They said their lifeblood was the money they made off people coming to the galleries."
Background: Louisville art legend is closing his NuLu art gallery
At one point, Swanson recalls, NuLu was home to about nine thriving, coexisting galleries. He hoped that as more and more restaurants sprinkled the area, the crowds would meander into his gallery to look around on their way to brunch.
But in the last decade or so, the tables have turned. People now head to NuLu to patron the top-notch restaurants, such as Mayan Cafe, Decca or Feast BBQ, or shop at the myriad boutiques that pepper the area.
And even though Swanson shuttered his gallery at the end of 2019, many of NuLu's original artists and tenants — and its new inhabitants — say art is alive and well in the neighborhood — it's just different than it was 15 years ago.
What was once a gallery epicenter is now a cultural, eclectic area of eating, shopping and art, with places such as Revelry Boutique, which specializes in handmade jewelry and showcases local art exhibitions, Red Tree Furniture with its kitschy gifts, and trendy fast-casual restaurants like Biscuit Belly, to name a few.
As NuLu says goodbye to art godfathers like Swanson, it's still a thriving place for gallery owners like Joyce Garner at Garner Narrative, 642 E. Market St., while also welcoming new curators like John Brooks, owner of Quappi Projects 827 E. Market St., which hosts new gallery exhibitions every three weeks.
And it's those original pioneers, like Swanson, Joe Ley Antiques and Galerie Hertz, who moved into the once-barren neighborhood at the edge of downtown, set the groundwork for a modern NuLu and helped it evolve into the thriving neighborhood it is today, according to David Schuster, an artist who has owned a studio in NuLu at 211 S. Clay St. for nearly two decades.
So while Swanson mourns the glory days of NuLu's art galleries — and while the neighborhood will miss his legacy — it doesn't mean art is gone for good. There's just a lot more to do in NuLu.
"Fifteen years ago, this was clearly a nexus of Louisville's art scene," Schuster said. "People just knew to come down here and see artwork. Now, NuLu is a more cohesive area. And the art studios aren't all concentrated here, they are all over the place in Louisville."
A Day in the Neighborhood: Headed to NuLu? I hope you're hungry (and thirsty)
Joyce Garner at Garner Narrative agrees. "The art is still here but now you can also get wonderful dinners and there's even a new bakery that’s opened over on Main Street," Garner said, referencing Butchertown Grocery Bakery, which opened in late 2019.
Mo McKnight Howe opened Revelry Boutique Gallery at 742 E. Market St. in NuLu five years ago because she wanted to be in the middle of the "arts" action. The art galleries, and Swanson, are what brought her to NuLu in the first place.
"Growing up, I lived right next to Chuck's gallery boutique that used to be in the Highlands," McKnight Howe said. "He was a lifetime inspiration to me."
And the action hasn't left the area, according to McKnight Howe. All the change has been for the better, in her opinion, bringing more foot traffic and diversity to the area. She welcomes NuLu's bars and restaurants, which are all locally owned.
"We don't have any chains in this neighborhood," McKnight Howe said. "And that's a true testament to the people who have bought in this neighborhood and not allowed the change to come in. I think it's a great representation of Louisville culture, of the food, retail and art scene. I like the diversity."
Brooks, artist and owner of Quappi Projects, feels the same.
"Moving here, I felt like I was becoming a part of something that was already going on, even though the neighborhood has changed a lot," Brooks told The Courier Journal. "And Chuck has been a pillar the art community for so long. Everyone feels that his leaving is a loss."
Brooks set up his gallery on Market Street but doesn't have a personal art studio in NuLu — it's in Portland, an area ripe with artists in a way that NuLu once was, said Gill Holland, the local developer who is credited with first branding "NuLu."
According to Holland, the "starving artists" are living in Portland now, the residential neighborhood west of downtown that he is working to develop.
"At one point, I counted a list of 50 artists working and living in Portland, but now I've lost track," Holland said.
Some say artists are one of the first indicators of a changing neighborhood, which could mean Portland will be the next art and shopping destination in town.
Joe Ley's legacy: As the iconic antique store is liquidated, a family says goodbye
In the early 2000s, when Schuster says the First Friday Hop brought a "mob scene" to Market Street, people didn't want to invest in the property in East Market. It was hard for folks to see what the area could become, he said.
"One of the reasons that artists and creators are often considered precursors to gentrification and development is ... because of the stereotype that we're looking for a cheap place to live," Schuster said. "But I think it's also because creatives have the ability to see past the surface and see potential of places."
People like Holland saw the area's potential, too. And when he helped relocate the Wayside Christian Mission from NuLu to downtown, there was a tipping point in the neighborhood, Schuster said.
But not everything has changed for the better for young artists looking to "break in" to the NuLu art scene. Property values in the once vacant neighborhood have skyrocketed.
Swanson bought the building that housed his gallery at 214 S. Clay St. in 2000 for $100,000. He sold it in March 2019 for $675,000.
Schuster, who also owns a building in NuLu, said he wouldn't be in a position to buy property in the neighborhood with today's prices, so he's thankful he got in when he did.
And it's people like Schuster and Swanson that helped paved the way for a new generation of creatives.
"I think art will always play an important role in NuLu, whether that is art galleries continuing to come in and thrive, or it's local art in the shops or public art, like murals," said Ina Miller of the NuLu Business Association.
As NuLu continues to grow, its roots won't be forgotten.
"It makes us really sad to see the Chuck Swanson's and the Joe Ley's leave the neighborhood, but I just hope they feel that we really appreciated the time and talent they gave to the neighborhood," Miller said. "Things will come and go, but that undercurrent of the arts community influenced us and we hope to keep it alive."
New to NuLu: These 4 bars and restaurants are moving into the neighborhood
Savannah Eadens is a culture and diversity reporter for the Courier Journal. Reach Savannah at seadens@courierjournal.com, 502-381-9498 or on Twitter at @savannaheadens. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/subscribe.
Art galleries in Louisville's NuLu neighborhood
7 Circle
WHAT: 7 Circle Studios specializes in epoxy pours and resin castings. A relatively new space, they make "functional art furniture for a modern culture."
WHERE: 830 E. Market St.
HOURS: Tuesday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
CONTACT: 502-817-5555
Garner Narrative studio + gallery
WHAT: Operated and owned by the Garner family, Garner narrative celebrates art with "generative messiness and personal-political content." The gallery acts as a co-op space with studios, galleries and apartments.
WHERE: 642 E. Market St.
HOURS: Wednesday through Saturday, 1-6 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m. and by appointment
CONTACT: 502-303-7259; garnernarrative.com
Paul Paletti Gallery
WHAT: Paul Paletti Gallery is a photography gallery located in the law offices of Sturm, Paletti and Wilson.
WHERE: 713 E. Market St.
HOURS: Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment
CONTACT: prpjr@msn.com; 502-589-9254
PYRO Gallery
WHAT: PYRO Gallery is a cooperative art gallery with rotating exhibitions. The artists work in many mediums including painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, glass, sculpture and fiber.
WHERE: 1006 E. Washington St.
HOURS: Thursday through Saturday noon to 6 p.m.
CONTACT: pyrogallery.com; 502-587-0106
Quappi Projects
WHAT Opened by artist John Brooks in 2017, Quappi Projects is a Louisville-based art gallery featuring contemporary artists whose works are "reflective of the zeitgeist."
WHERE: 827 E. Market St.
HOURS: Thursday noon to 4 p.m., Friday noon to 5 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and by appointment
CONTACT: quappiprojects.com; info@quappiprojects.com; 502-295-7118
Revelry Boutique Gallery
WHAT: The boutique is filled with handmade jewelry, art, prints, photography and home decor. The art gallery rotates each month, featuring local artists and accompanied by an opening reception.
WHERE: 742 E. Market St.
HOURS: Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday and Monday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
CONTACT: 502-414-1278; info@revelrygallery.com
Zephyr Gallery
WHAT: Zephyr Gallery is not open to the public on a regular basis since the start of their corporate art loan-to-purchase program. As an artist-run gallery, Zephyr works with other local galleries, university faculty and independent artists to create an art inventory for the corporate program, which supports visual arts in Louisville and the region.
WHERE: 610 E. Market St.
HOURS: By appointment
CONTACT: 502-585-5646; zephyrgallery.org
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