Kathleen McLaughlin, The IBJ
kmclaughlin@ibj.com
Longtime art gallery owner Mark Ruschman announced this morning that he would close his downtown business on July 31, two months shy of its 25th anniversary.
Ruschman, 51, said the long, severe recession drove the decision. He said his business has been slow for the past 18 months.
"It's been persistent," he said. "You don't necessarily have six to eight months to wait for a turnaround."
The news came as a shock to local art supporters. The gallery, at 948 N. Alabama St., has been a fixture in the St. Joseph neighborhood.
"Even with these horrible, horrible times, in our minds we thought, if anybody could make it, it would be Ruschman," said Shannon Linker, director of artist services for the Arts Council of Indianapolis.
Exhibiting regionally and nationally known artists, Ruschman Gallery was known as one of the most discriminating galleries in the city.
"A lot of local artists have not liked him for that reason," Linker said. "He set the bar really high."
While serving a sophisticated clientele, Ruschman supported the entire local art scene. He's credited with establishing the Indianapolis Downtown Artists and Dealers Association, which hosts First Friday Art Tour.
"He made it what it is," said Dan Haynes, the owner of Art Bank, a non-juried exhibition hall on Mass Ave.
The recession has been tough on artists and galleries at all levels. The Wall Street meltdown began just as galleries were coming off the typically slow summer season in 2008, Haynes said.
"We just barely had a Christmas season," he said.
Sales only began to improve in May and are still down about 50 percent from a year ago, Haynes said.
The city has only a handful of other galleries that show fine contemporary art, including GC Lucas Gallery on Massachusetts Avenue, Art Box on Senate Avenue and Editions Limited in Broad Ripple.
Other galleries that have closed recently include Alchemy in Fountain Square and artist C.W. Mundy's gallery on the north side, Linker said.
Ruschman said past recessions seemed to affect just one type of client, either individuals or businesses, but this time, "it's been a downturn in both."
Ruschman and his associate gallery director, Telene Edington, decided to close during the summer to avoid stringing along artists, who need a long lead time to plan fall shows.
Retirement is not in his plans. He said he might continue as a private dealer or find a job elsewhere.
Ruschman opened his first gallery at 421 Massachusetts Ave. in 1984 after graduating from Indiana University with a degree in art education. At first he sold prints and works on paper. He moved to the current location in 1996.
Over the years, "I made more right decisions than wrong," he said. "And I managed to survive."