JUNE 6, 2003 • MIDLANDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Saturday afternoon outing sparks Louisville Art Gallery

by Ken Wall

Steven Sherman had to be coaxed to go antique shopping that Saturday afternoon in March 2001, but upon arriving in Louisville he made a fateful discovery that led him to strike out on an even more unexpected journey — one that would culminate with the opening of the Louisville Art Gallery eight months later.

What Sherman found was a sandstone building constructed in 1910 as a luxury hotel. In those days Louisville was on the main road between Lincoln and Omaha and served as a halfway point where weary travelers could stop for the night.

Ninety-one years later the building was being used for storage by an antique dealer and was in danger of being torn down. The dealer wanted to get rid of it, and the most likely suitor was a car dealer who fancied the site as an expanded parking lot.

Sherman struck up a conversation with the antique dealer, Paul McManis, and mentioned that he was fond of the old building. McManis replied, “It’s for sale.”

“I kind of fell into this building and honestly, when I bought it, opening an art gallery wasn’t the first thing on my mind,” said Sherman, an Omaha native whose only previous experience with Louisville came from childhood trips to nearby Louisville State Recreation Area. “I wanted to use it as an apartment.

“I had been looking to move for a couple of years and just hadn’t found the right space. I’d considered renting an apartment downtown, but for what I would have had to pay I’d rather buy something. To buy a building like this in downtown Omaha would cost three or four times what I paid. I just couldn’t pass it up.”

Sherman, a semitruck driver for United Parcel Service since the early 1980s, always thought he would like to own a gallery but had relegated the pursuit of that dream to his retirement years. Suddenly he found himself in possession of the perfect space for a gallery — a renovated historic building right in the middle of a growing retail district between Lincoln and Omaha — so he contacted an old mentor to inquire about the potential for pushing his plan up a few years.

Sherman moved into the building in September 2001 and held his first art show in November.

“I had gone to commercial art school in the early ‘80s, but when I went full time at UPS it kind of put the skids on my art career,” Sherman said. “About 10 years later I realized something was missing from my life, so I began taking some art classes.

“My first class was a sculpture workshop with Les Bruning. I really enjoyed his class, so I took another. Eventually I rented some studio space from him so I could continue to work on my sculptures.

“Les is the one who inspired me to get more involved in figurative sculpture, and he was the one who brought all of the artists in for my first show at the Louisville Art Gallery. At first I was a little worried about how I would find new artists to keep the gallery interesting, but it seems that every artist I meet has four or five he wants to introduce me to.”

Sherman has retained his job with UPS as he builds the gallery’s recognition. Louisville Art Gallery is open each weekend and hosts formal shows about once every two months.

Eventually Sherman would like to generate enough business through the gallery that he can afford to focus on his own business full time. To that end, he has developed a plan to locate art classes in the gallery, both as a revenue generator and as a means of increasing awareness of its existence.

“I’m starting with a limited schedule this summer, but by fall I hope to have a pretty full slate of classes here through the week and on weekends,” Sherman said. “When I opened the gallery I set a goal of being able to come here full time in five years. I’ve made good progress so far, and I think the classes will make that an even more realistic goal.”

During his first two years in business Sherman has been especially pleased with the support he has received from his new community. Louisville’s Main Street district has undergone something of a rejuvenation in recent years, with energy coming from new business owners and the town’s commitment to improving the streets and sidewalks to make the area more pedestrian friendly.

A new entrance from Highway 50 takes visitors directly into downtown Louisville where they will find a host of retail and entertainment options including an old-fashioned soda shop, antique and craft stores, a night club that periodically features live entertainment and, of course, the Louisville Art Gallery.

Sherman said residents and city officials were so pleased to see someone come in and breathe new life into the historic hotel that he was appointed a City Council member after he had been there only a year.

“When the City Council approached me and asked if I would be interested, I was incredibly flattered,” Sherman said. “It made me feel very much at home here and has been a tremendous experience. I’ve especially enjoyed working with such a wonderful group of people who are dedicated to their community, as well as having the opportunity to learn more about the inner workings of local government. It is amazing the amount of detail that goes into planning and operating a community.

“I think there is a generation of people here who are very forward thinking and want to see the progress that has already been made in Louisville continue well into the future. There is such a positive vibe here.”

The Louisville Art Gallery occupies about 3,500 square feet of Sherman’s building, leaving 1,100 square feet for his second-floor apartment. The work featured in the gallery, primarily from local artists, includes paintings, drawings, sculptures and glass.

Sherman said his goal is to keep a local flavor, incorporating artists from across the Midwest, while maintaining a high quality of work.

“A lot of people think they have to go to Santa Fe or New York to find this caliber of art, but the truth is there are lots of very talented artists in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and other Midwest states,” Sherman said.

“You can reach Louisville from downtown Lincoln in 40 minutes and from downtown Omaha in about 30 minutes. With the antique shops in Louisville we get a lot of people stroll in on Saturdays, having no idea what they will find once they get inside."

“It’s been a lot of fun seeing their reactions and exposing them to the wonderful art that is produced in this area. This wouldn’t work if it weren’t for all of the talented people who have agreed to have their work here.”