By Pete Smith
Third time’s the charm, right?
That’s what members of the Hoosier Salon board and the Carmel City Center Community Development Corporation must be thinking after the two sides finally secured an agreement to move the famous art gallery from Broad Ripple to Carmel.
The new gallery could open as soon as May 1.
“The Carmel Arts & Design District is an excellent location for us to help fulfill our mission through showcasing and selling works by Indiana artists,” said Hoosier Salon Executive Director Donnae Dole. “We opened a pop-up gallery during the September Art Walk and the Carmel International Arts Festival. Our sales and the volume of visitors during the trial runs convinced us the Carmel Arts & Design District is the place to be to reach art customers.”
The 90-year-old art gallery expressed renewed interest in a possible move to Carmel in January after a snub three months prior. In October of 2013 the board of the Hoosier Salon decided not to relocate after initially expressing interest. But in March the 4CDC board cut off negotiations after Hoosier Salon requested 4 months free rent in addition to an annual subsidy.
The third round of negotiations resumed in private, and – though a lease is not yet signed – the 4CDC board authorized president Ron Carter to sign a lease and sublease agreement to bring the Salon to Carmel.
Carter said he expects the papers to be signed in the coming days.
“We have been working hard to come to an agreement to bring Hoosier Salon to Carmel, and I think it’s been well worth the effort,” Carter said. “It is our mission to help our redevelopment areas thrive and we think Hoosier Salon will help us achieve that goal.”
The 4CDC would lease a building in the Arts & Design District at 20 N. Range Line Road from landlord Curtis Butcher, and then the organization would sublease the building to the art gallery along with providing a $1,250 monthly subsidy.
The 4CDC is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization which collects rent from commercial tenants in the James Building at the Center for the Performing Arts and the Old Town on the Monon building on Main Street. It also doles out less than $4,000 in rent subsidies per month to businesses in the Carmel Arts & Design District and assists the Carmel Redevelopment Commission in its mission.
Founded in 1924, Hoosier Salon is one of Indiana’s oldest and most respected visual arts organizations. Hoosier Salon has a gallery in New Harmony and has an administrative office in Indianapolis.
“This year Hoosier Salon is celebrating the 90th anniversary of its first annual exhibition,” Dole said. “It is an exciting time to see our organization move forward, creating additional visibility, recognition and marketing opportunities for Indiana artists.”
