Paul Henry’s Art Gallery

Interesting space in Hammond in an old hardware store. Do not let the remnants of the past in the store steer you away from taking a closer look at all the art throughout the gallery. Towards the back of the space is, what I consider to be the neatest area.
There is a large open space in the back where there is a lot of art. Not only that, but every Thursday night there is an open mike jam that starts at 7:00 pm. It’s a really rustic and comfy place.
The owner is a real interesting fella and is really nice. It is a local owned business and it is a wonderful thing to support those!

Hey Chicago Dwellers… Get Out of the City and Visit this Gallery. This amazing space, which is huge, was established as a hardware store in 1902. That part of the business is still a strong presence in the space; the tools are beautifully displayed in the original cases along the walls. The collection of art is varied and inspired, it changes frequently. There is a weekly open mic on Thursdays, so you can stop by for live music and experience the space and the gallery. Visit this Space!
Check out this video:

Paul Henry’s Art Gallery is an absolute gem of a place, a credit to northwest Indiana. Most visitors probably know it for the weekly acoustic open mic on Thursdays, but it also happens to be a wonderful gallery that hosts various artist receptions and other events pretty regularly. The collection is large, and changes frequently enough that if you come back in a month or so you’re very likely to see a whole bunch of stuff you haven’t seen before.
The open mic night is $ 5 to get in, and also features a pot luck. Bringing food gets you a discount on entry, and being a performer yourself or an exhibiting artist in the gallery gets one, as well. Any combination of two of these criteria means free entry; I play music there fairly regularly, so I pay $ 3, and it is definitely worth it to support the gallery and enjoy the atmosphere. Coffee and non-​alcoholic punch are provided, but it’s also BYOB, so if you absolutely must imbibe, you can bring your goodies.
Although I’ve been to the gallery roughly 50 times or so, I always notice something I hadn’t seen before. More often than not, the piece had been there the whole time, but there’s so much sensory overload going on that it is really easy to miss really wonderful pieces, which makes returning an adventure. The overall atmosphere of the place is perfect, as the building is about a hundred years old and has endless charm. It doesn’t hurt that the owner, David Mueller, is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, with strong knowledge and love of art.
I’m not actually from Indiana, but businesses like Paul Henry’s really make the northwest Indiana region much more appealing. Definitely a huge feather in the cap of the area, and a must visit for anyone who loves art.