Discovering Art on Main

Madison Main Street Program
19 hours ago
3 min read

Photo Credit to Lindsay Holley

Last year the Art on Main gallery opened at a new location, 327 W. Main St. New customers have been finding their way to their door ever since.

Inside they find Madison’s largest selection of locally produced art – jewelry, wearables, sculpture, turned wood items, furniture and paintings. It’s like a year-round, indoor Madison Chautauqua in climate-controlled comfort, with a constantly changing assortment of art styles and artists.

Photo Credit to Lindsay Holley

The new location is near Analog Coffee, on the south side of Main Street. The gallery is a project of the Madison Art Club and is staffed completely by volunteers – the artists themselves. It’s always worthwhile to ask the person working the counter to tell you about their own work that is displayed in the gallery. After a few visits, you will know some of the most creative people in town.

Although the new location is 40 percent smaller than the former gallery at 309 W. Main, it has plenty of wall space and shelves for the 50-some artists currently displayed. “I think we have better visibility here,” says president Bill Frederick, a Vevay artisan, who also volunteered a lot of his time to renovate the retail space.

Photo Credit to Lindsay Holley

“We try to encourage local artists,” he adds. The Madison Art Club has approximately 70 members. Most, but not all, live in or near Jefferson County. There are no limitations on where members live, and the gallery often features works by artisans from as far away as Indianapolis. All artists must be juried in by other art club members.

According to Bill Frederick, about 80 percent of sales at the gallery are made to Madison visitors. “Art is the kind of thing you’re more likely to buy on vacation.” Still, the gallery tries to encourage local shopping, with a room devoted to small gifts such as notecards, miniature paintings and jewelry.

Photo Credit to Lindsay Holley

The Madison Art Club is one of the oldest continuously operating art clubs in Indiana. The club traces its history to June 1929, when a dozen young artists banded together to encourage each other and promote their own work. Young artists are still welcomed into the club, and Bill says 6-8 new artists have started exhibiting since last year’s move.

Art on Main dedicates the main presentation wall to art based on a monthly theme. This month’s theme is “Garden Buddies.” In July, members will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States with their art. Repeat patrons will find a changing array of works each visit.

Photo Credit to Lindsay Holley

One way the Madison Art Club grows the audience for local art is through its partnership with Norton King’s Daughters’ Hospital in “The Art of Healing.” Artists are invited to submit paintings quarterly, and NKDH staffers chose which will be displayed on the hospital’s

walls. The competition is open to any artist. From 20 to 25 paintings are featured each quarter.

To find out more about the Madison Art Club or its Art on Main gallery, visit 327 W. Main St., contact the gallery at 812-274-4400 or support@madisonartclub.com. The website is frequently updated at https://madisonartclub.com.

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