Roundup: Fishers gets first art gallery

Fishers’ first art gallery has opened in the Nickel Plate District.

High Frequency Arts, which is leasing 3,600 square feet of space at 11634 Maple St., opened to the public Jan. 11.The gallery’s opening coincides with recent news from the Indiana Arts Commission that the Nickel Plate District has been named a Statewide Cultural District, a designation few cities in the state hold.

Jill Lehman, owner of High Frequency Arts, said she opened the art gallery and event space to make art more accessible to the public, while helping artists cultivate business.

High Frequency Arts displays local and national art work, sells and leases the art on behalf of artists, offers art consulting for businesses and homes and hosts private meetings and events.

The gallery’s mission is to invigorate interest in art and ignite creativity. Lehman hopes the gallery can play a role in elevating and growing the presence of art in the community and ultimately help support and grow art careers.

During winter, the gallery is open to the public for a few hours Tuesday through Saturday.

Local officials say the new gallery complements efforts already underway to grow the arts community in downtown Fishers.

“(High Frequency’s) recent arrival shows an investment in the future of the arts in the area,” Hamilton County Tourism Destination Development Manager Sarah Buckner said in written comments. “With a mid-range price point, purchases of fine arts is more accessible to patrons. High Frequency serves as an excellent complement to the incredible makers space Ignite, to the long-time Fishers business, Gallery 116, and to the always growing Fishers Arts Crawl."

Alithir McGill, executive director of Nickel Plate Arts, said she’s personally excited about High Frequency’s philosophy and dedication to helping artists grow and prosper as entrepreneruers.

“This gallery will be a vital addition to the city’s recently designated Cultural District and fills an important gap for artists and art-patrons alike,” she said in written comments announcing the opening of the gallery.

In other North of 96^th Street retail news:

— Whitestown is getting a City Barbeque. The Ohio-based eatery will open a 3,500-square-foot restaurant at 6082 Whitestown Parkway in The Shoppes at Anson. The Whitestown location will be the eatery’s sixth in Indiana. The other restaurants are in Fishers, Carmel, Greenwood, Avon and at IUPUI.

— Chicago’s Pizza is preparing to open its first Hamilton County restaurant. The pizzeria will open in the former Stacked Pickle in Fishers Marketplace. The first Chicago’s Pizza opened in Beech Grove in 1979. Today, the restaurant operates in 16 Indiana cities, including nearby McCordsville. The 6,000- square-foot Fishers restaurant, 13204 Market Square Drive, is expected to open mid-February.

— Westfield's Big Hoffa's BBQ is planning an expansion. Owner Adam Hoffman told IBJ he's purchased the building the restaurant occupies and will expand the restaurant from 3,000 square feet to 16,000 square feet. Until recently, the building at 800 E. Main St. was also home to Main Street Shoppes, which closed Jan. 26, according to its Facebook page. Hoffman said he hopes renovations are complete in time for summer. The new space will allow Big Hoffa's to introduce new menu items and serve more catering customers, he said.