I’m touring the Art Group Gallery at Pleasant Ridge Town Center in west Little Rock with Bob Snider, a longtime friend who worked for U.S. Sen. John L. McClellan in Washington, D.C., before returning to Arkansas to launch a career in the financial sector.
When Snider retired in 2008, he began to paint.
“You can only play so much golf,” the Camden native says. “I was an art major in college at Ouachita, but I figured I would starve to death if I tried to do that coming out of school.”
Nine years ago, several Arkansas artists formed the Art Group. There are now 19 partners. Their gallery is filled with oils, pastels and watercolors. Watercolorist Donna Twyford, the newest partner, is hard at work as we walk around. Holly Tilley serves as general manager of the gallery, though she receives no pay. The Art Group has no paid employees.
“We’re running a commercial business on a volunteer basis,” Tilley says. “We even picked up two additional partners during the pandemic. About every art discipline you can imagine is represented here.”
Ned Perme, who retired from KATV, Channel 7, in Little Rock after a long stint as a weatherman, is among the partners. The gallery covers 3,000 square feet. The space once housed a retailer that sold kitchen supplies, so there’s a full kitchen that comes in handy when there are receptions. There’s a satellite gallery at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Little Rock.
“When I visit another city, I want to see things that are authentic and local,” Snider says. “This is the kind of place that allows people to experience what Arkansas is all about.”
Tilley spent 35 years in advertising and marketing (20 of those years were with Systematics and Alltel) before deciding to paint for a living.
“Our partners are full-time artists,” she says. “This is a career for them. We have big aspirations here. Our vision is to make and sell as much local art as possible. We also give back to the community by giving lessons to people who don’t think they can paint. We…