1012 Corridor

Elizabeth Noble’s paintings are instantly compelling. On each of several large canvases, a woman is shown in various stages of the simple act of getting dressed. In one, she shaves her legs. In another, she brushes on mascara. Raw, exposed figures are flanked by rich arrangements of color. They depict the mundane and routine, but the images are stunning.

Sprinkled throughout the Brunner Gallery’s downtown Baton Rouge location, Noble’s paintings are part of a tableau of dynamic artists handpicked by gallery owner Susan Brunner. The art here is contemporary and exciting, and while some works fetch five figures, others can be had for less than $100.

Brunner believes art is perceived unnecessarily as intimidating. She prefers to view it as an item designed to bring joy.

“Choosing a painting should be based on how it makes you feel,” she says. “Yes, a great investment is one reason, but art should evoke an emotion.”

With a strong presence on the Northshore and in Baton Rouge, and now with a new venture in Bossier City, the Brunner Galleries have become successful outlets for fine art throughout the state. Brunner and husband Rick, a respected sculptor, have also developed fresh approaches to the business of art.

Selling original works created by selected artists is one aspect of the model. Susan Brunner has made a name consulting with other galleries across the country and in guiding regional corporate clients on developing art plans, a tool she says can help a business sharpen its brand. Brunner has also worked to foster the careers of several emerging artists, including Noble.

The Brunners launched their first gallery in 1997 in two historic buildings in downtown Covington—the culmination of a dual love for art. Previously, Susan had worked as a designer with a heavy fine art focus, often carting paintings and three-dimensional pieces to clients in the trunk of her car. The gallery was an opportunity to serve the growing Northshore market. By 2003, the Brunners had a following large enough to justify a new space constructed from the ground up. By the end of 2004, annual sales in Covington were $700,000, a significant jump from the $16,000 they made in 1997, when Susan says she had to learn the business from scratch.

“I knew nothing about running a gallery,” says Brunner. “Absolutely nothing.”

With the permanent space in Covington soaring, a new opportunity emerged in 2004 in Baton Rouge. Brunner was approached by then Commissioner of Administration Mark Drennen and Downtown Development District Executive Director Davis Rhorer to open a gallery in the Capital City’s burgeoning “arts block.” As plans took shape for the forthcoming Shaw Center for the Arts, Brunner’s interest grew. Ultimately, she was asked to consider establishing a gallery inside the Shaw Center, a sleek, mixed-use facility featuring a live performance venue, a museum and restaurants. The facility was set to open in May 2005.

Brunner fought through worry that she and Rick would be spread too thin. In addition to the Covington gallery, they also had a retail presence in Park City, Utah. But she believed the Baton Rouge market would be strong, so six months before the Shaw Center opened, she agreed to become a retail partner. Originally, the space was designed as an open, second-floor lobby to the 300-seat Manship Theatre. Brunner refashioned it as a gallery, and began intercepting theater-goers en route to performances.

“I loved the idea of being close to the theater,” she says.

There were challenges, though. Patrons of the Shaw Center didn’t automatically understand The Brunner Gallery was a retail outlet and not another museum. And by the end of 2009, the Manship Theatre began debating other uses for its lobby. In December, Brunner moved the gallery from the Shaw Center to the nearby Hilton Capitol Center, where she has had a retail presence for the last two years. She plans to increase the 40 paintings currently hanging to around 80, and hopes to install sculpture around the hotel’s swimming pool.

“We plan to use the entire hotel, and make it easy for people to buy art. People buy art when they travel, so it’s really a good fit.”

Since arriving in Baton Rouge in 2004, the Brunner Gallery has been a key player in the growing downtown arts scene. It has regularly hosted the Art Melt, a high-octane, juried art show and social event meant to bring exposure to local artists. Traditionally, the Brunner Gallery has hung the work of new painters and sculptors and selected one for its Emerging Artist Award, which provides the artist the opportunity to show additional works in one of the three Brunner Galleries. In 2010, the Art Melt moves to the Louisiana State Museum, but Brunner will still curate it.

The galleries’ success notwithstanding, economic downturns do affect the Brunners’ sales—but Brunner has planned for such fluctuations by developing a division that helps corporate clients create art plans, a phased approach to acquiring works over time.

“The majority of our clients come because they have an empty wall. They have an aesthetic need,” says Brunner. “But there’s an advantage to creating a collection that reflects your identity.”

Brunner also caters to corporate clients with high foot traffic, like hotels, which hire Brunner to help keep their walls flush in rotating paintings. She’s also frequently called upon to help other galleries launch or expand.

The Brunners recently began selling higher-price-point art in an attempt to shift the perception about the quality of works sold in Louisiana.

“We want to keep people from leaving the area to buy art,” she says. “Our intention is always to serve both the artist and the client.”