Hoosier Artist M
Ruth Wert, Beth Parrock, and Anabel Hopkins.
~story and photos by Paige Langenderfer
64 Our Brown County • July/August 2022
ore than a decade ago Anabel Hopkins had a dream of creating an artist-owned art gallery in downtown Nashville. With her dream in hand, Anabel attended an Art Alliance meeting and pitched the idea to longtime friend Ruth Wert. “We passed the word around and before long we had our founding eight member/owners,” Ruth said. “With eight members, we knew we could afford the lease, so we signed on our first location and opened the gallery.” The first location of the Hoosier Artist Gallery in Nashville, which opened in 2007, was cramped and didn’t have a bathroom or a closet— but Ruth and Anabel were delighted to have made their dreams a reality. “Several artists came to us and wanted to join, but the space wasn’t big enough,” Anabel said. “Before very long at all we knew we were going to need to find a bigger space.” In 2009, the gallery moved to its current location, 45 South Jefferson Street. “The space is wonderful. We can feature more than 20 artist/members,” said Anabel, a painter who specializes in landscapes as well as abstract and expressionism. To become a member of the cooperative gallery, an artist must be juried in. They must bring in the work they would like to sell and must answer questions from current members. The current members then vote on whether they will accept the potential member.
