Friends’ Mission

Friends is a community-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting appreciation, preservation, and cultural revitalization of historic downtown Louisville.  We are also committed to sharing Friends’ know-how with other rural communities in Jefferson County and the CSRA and with businesses and organizations working in those communities.  Friends believes the most effective way to accomplish our mission is forming effective partnerships.  Our partners include the Jefferson County Schools, Chamber of Commerce, Arts Guild, the Louisville Garden Club, the Louisville Kiwanis Club, the fire departments of Jefferson County, The News and Farmer, and the art department of Augusta State University.  We will work aggressively to build more productive partnerships in the coming years.

Friends’ Programs

In addition to The Fire House Gallery, described more fully below, Friends’ other important programs include –

Friends’ Publications.  Friends created and maintains its monthly e-newsletter, The Downtowner,  the historic downtown Louisville website (www.ourlouisville.com), and The Fire House Gallery site (www.galleryafire.com).  These publications reach an ever wider audience and are becoming highly effective promotional tools for Louisville. 

Downtown Events Planning and Execution.  Friends supports seasonal and other enjoyable downtown events, including the popular Buzzard Blast every spring, Farmers Market Off Broad in partnership with the Louisville Garden Club, and occasional commemorations of the dedication of our servicemen and women on national holidays. 

Friends’ Historic Plaque Program.  This program assists local merchants and other building owners in obtaining handsome custom brass plaques designed by Friends especially to honor the remarkable historic buildings within the Louisville Commercial Historic District.  Currently ten plaques have been installed with the cooperation of the Chamber of Commerce, which has provided funding support, and with the Historical Society, which contributes research concerning candidate buildings.

The Fire House Gallery

The Gallery is the cornerstone of Friends' revitalization efforts in Louisville.  The Gallery website provides a full look at the program offerings summarized below.

The Gallery Mission.  The Gallery’s mission is to provide a unique venue for important Southern and rural artists that will serve as a community center for Louisvillians and attract appreciative visitors to downtown from around Jefferson County, the CSRA, the state, and the South.

Gallery Exhibitions.  The Gallery hosts monthly exhibitions of the work of important Southern and rural artists accompanied by lively public opening receptions that have become a staple of Louisville night life.  Explore the Gallery's history of exhibits by clicking here.

Gallery Community Outreach Activities.  Since its opening in 2005, the Gallery has developed a robust program of educational outreach in partnership with the schools of Jefferson County.  Learn more about these transformational programs by visiting the Gallery's outreach page.  In addition, the Gallery is especially dedicated to increasing recognition for our local artists through its twice-a-year exhibitions of work by the members of the Arts Guild of Jefferson County.

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