61. The Green Building Gallery
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (502) 561-1162
Address: 732 East Market St.
Description: A variety of thought-provoking artists exhibit their work at the gallery in the award-winning Green Building, which opened in the fall of 2008 in the East Market District, the heart of NuLu, Louisville’s arts district. Renovation of the 110-year-old masonry structure began in 2007 when owners Augusta and Gill Holland decided to make theirs the first commercial building in Louisville to go for LEED platinum certification (the U.S. Green Building Council’s designation of a sustainable building). Aside from the gallery, the mixed-use facility houses 732 Social—a street-facing cafe—from James Beard–nominated Ton Brothers, event spaces, and an indoor-outdoor courtyard at the rear, complete with a green wall vertical garden.
62. Higgins Maxwell Gallery
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Shopping
Address: 1200 Payne St.
Description: European fine art is on display in this gallery, started in 1996 near the Highlands neighborhood, but they specialize in vintage American artists and paintings sold on consignment. Local artists are represented as well. A popular stop for collectors looking for works from artists of the Ohio Valley School and the Wonderland Way, the gallery is also available to rent for cocktail parties and other events.
63. Kaviar Forge & Gallery
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (502) 561-0377
Address: 1718 Frankfort Ave.
Description: Award-winning bronze and iron furniture, architectural gates, rails, liturgical work, and more can be viewed at this workshop, which specializes in a wide range of forged-metal pieces. Antique machines, tools, and metal lend the space an air of cluttered artistry, and a window in the gallery looks out over the forging area, affording visitors a glimpse of artist Craig Kaviar in action. An attractive outdoor sculpture garden surrounds the studio and gallery.
64. Objects Of Desire Gallery
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (502) 458-4164
Address: 1503 Bardstown Rd.
Description: Established in 1990, this gallery near the bustling intersection of Bardstown Road and Eastern Parkway has emerged as one of the region’s premier shops for showcasing contemporary, wearable art. A smartly designed space provides a dramatic backdrop for the works of established and newly emerging artists, whose art challenges conventional notions of wearability and ownership, and nationally and internationally recognized metalsmiths and fiber artists are showcased on a regular basis through permanent displays and group or solo exhibitions.
65. Zephyr Gallery
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (502) 585-5646
Address: 610 East Market St.
Description: Zephyr Gallery is a contemporary fine arts gallery that has advocated regional talent while contributing to Derby City culture for some 20 years. The oldest cooperative gallery in the region, Zephyr Gallery boasts a member base composed of 24 local artists who own the gallery, and allow visitors direct personal access. Regular shows display the work of member artists in a broad range of media and styles, and additional viewing allows for exploration of the extensive inventory housed in a private storage facility. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, or by appointment.
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Shopping
Address: 323 West Broadway
67. Louisville Ballet
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (502) 583-3150
Address: 315 East Main St.
Description: Louisville Ballet, the State Ballet of Kentucky, was founded in March 1952 as a civic ballet company. Today, it reaches an audience of nearly 50,000 people each year, and has earned a national reputation as one of the country’s leading regional ballet companies. It has over 65 world-premiere ballets to its credit, and a repertoire of over 150 works by noted choreographers such as Sir Frederick Ashton, Erik Bruhn, George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Jack Carter, Choo-San Goh, Jose Limon, and Paul Taylor.
68. Louisville Orchestra
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (502) 587-8681
Address: 323 West Broadway
Description: Founded in 1937 by then mayor of Louisville, Charles Farnsley, and conductor Robert Whitney, the Louisville Orchestra is regarded by many as the cornerstone of the Louisville arts community. Today the programs it offers are as diverse as the audiences it attracts. A full-time, 71-member ensemble offers a wide variety of concerts that include traditional fare with world-renowned guest artists, in addition to lighter classical and pops performances. Also the resident performing group for the Louisville Ballet and the Kentucky Opera, the Louisville Orchestra holds performances at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts and other venues throughout the city; ticket costs vary.
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Shopping
Address: 525 Marriott Dr.
70. Iroquois Amphitheater
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (502) 368-5865
Address: 1080 Amphitheater Rd.
Description: With seating for more than 2,407 and a stage that hosts a variety of performing arts and cultural programs, the Iroquois Amphitheater is the official amphitheater for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. For many, especially in the city’s South End, it has become a summer tradition to take in at least one summer performance at the historic theater. Originally built in 1938 by employees from the Works Progress Administration, this outdoor theater in Iroquois Park recently underwent an $8.9 million renovation that carefully preserved portions of the original structure while adding much-needed updates.
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Shopping
Address: 316 West Main St.
72. Brown Theatre
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (502) 562-0188
Address: 501 West Main St.
Description: An elegant reminder of the glory days of Louisville’s theater district in the 1920s, the Brown Theatre is a lovingly restored showplace that combines Old World splendor and state-of-the-art technology to create a performance space that is both comfortable and beautiful. With seating for some 1,400 patrons, the Brown counts as a grand dame of Derby City’s artistic community today. It is one of the main venues for theatrical and musical productions sponsored by the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts.
73. Bunbury Theatre
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (502) 585-5306
Address: 604 South Third St.
Description: Striving to “create enriching, diverse, live theatrical experiences for the community and its artists in an intimate and professional setting,” the Bunbury Theatre is located on the third floor of the Henry Clay building at the corner of Third and Chestnut. The Cemetery Club, The Cocktail Hour, The Gin Game, and Between Daylight and Booneville are some of the productions that have been staged since the theater’s inception in 1991. In addition, The Butterfingers Angel, Mary, and Joseph, Herod the Nut, and the Slaughter of Twelve Hit Carols in a Pear Tree has become a yearly tradition. Tickets generally fall in the $10 to $20 price range.
74. Finnigan’S Productions
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (502) 876-0532
Address: 3911 Elmwood Ave.
Description: Bringing cutting-edge and thought-provoking works of theater to the stages of Louisville, Finnigan’s Productions tries to showcase alternative theater that is socially relevant. Every spring the troupe puts together the Festival of Funky Fresh Fun to celebrate local talent with an evening of 10-minute plays by local writers and directors. The 2009 festival included works by Tad Chitwood, Nancy Gall-Clayton, Doug Schutte, Todd Zeigler, Andy Epstein, Christa Kreimendahl, Sherry Deatrick, Jeffrey Scott Holland, Carlos Manuel, Carridder Jones, and Nathan Green. Finnigan’s Productions stages many of its plays at the Rudyard Kipling at 422 West Oak Street in Old Louisville.
75. Pandora Productions
City: Louisville, KY
Category: Shopping
Address: 604 South Third St.
Description: Showing its productions at the Bunbury Theatre in the historic Henry Clay building on the corner of Third and Chestnut, Pandora Productions strives to entertain, engage, and inspire its audience. The repertoire includes bold, cutting-edge, and rarely seen works of theater of special interest to those in the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community—or simply to those in search of good theater. Past productions have included Kiss of the Spider Woman, Looking for Normal, Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Laramie Project, and Southern Baptist Sissies. Advance tickets for single shows generally cost $15.