The Hopkinsville Art Guild Gallery has become the first downtown tenant to announce a permanent closure because of the coronavirus.
(Guild Facebook photo)
As a nonprofit organization without any employees, the guild has not qualified for any of the government relief programs aimed at reducing the financial impact of the coronavirus.
“We have the same recurring expenses, and we’ve been closed since March 15,” art guild president Henrietta Kemp said.
The guild has rented its gallery space from Mac and Catherine Arthur, who own several properties on Sixth Street between Main and Virginia streets, for approximately six years. Before moving downtown, the guild had its gallery in Bradford Square mall.
“I hope this is the first of very few — or the only one,” Downtown Renaissance Director Holly Boggess said.
Guild members who sell their works in the gallery have taken turns staffing it.
“We are sorry to be forced to do this. We appreciate the wonderful support we have received from many art lovers in our area over the past 11 years,” Kemp said in a news release. “The 30 local artists who participate in this co-op gallery want to thank our faithful supporters for their help and encouragement.”
The guild, established 55 years ago, will continue as an organization. It will still put on workshops and other events. It currently has exhibits at the Hopkinsville Municipal Center, Jennie Stuart Medical Center and the Christian County Chamber of Commerce
The Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library and the Carnegie Library have offered space for events, said Kemp.
The guild’s website is being revised to serve as a virtual gallery that will enables online sales.
The gallery will close May 23. It is open by appointment until then. Anyone interested in an appointment should call Kemp at 270-886-3776 or email the guild at info@hopkinsvilleartguild.org
The gallery will be open to the public one last time — from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 21-23. Virus guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be followed, the guild said.
All of the gallery’s merchandise, made by 30 members of the cooperative, is 20% off the regular price.
The gallery is part of the Sixth Street hub that’s developed as a key feature in downtown Hopkinsville’s revival in the past several years.
“They have been an awesome addition to downtown and Sixth Street,” Boggess said.
At least two other downtown businesses — Amanda’s Cupcake Cafe and Ferrell’s Snappy Service — are closed temporarily because of the coronavirus outbreak.
(Jennifer P. Brown is the editor and founder of Hoptown Chronicle. Reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org.)
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
