Inside Hope Gallery, people can find colorful abstract paintings, chic handmade jewelry and stunning photography.
Locally made soap, salsa and ceramics are arranged on tables and shelves throughout the Bargersville art space. Glass art sculptures are just a few steps away from hand-dyed dog bandanas.
The artwork and artisan items are what catches people’s eyes when they walk into the door. But Hope Gallery is more than simply a place to buy unique gifts. The business provides opportunities for young adults with developmental disabilities, such as autism, to work, learn job skills and interact with the community.
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“They can do things; they may need help and a safe place to do it, but they want to contribute,” said Jennifer Parker, president of the Alex and Ali Foundation, who operates the gallery. “There is very little for these young adults once they age out of the school system. Most of them end up sitting at home, watching TV or playing video games. But they want to show they can do more than that.”
Hope Gallery is the first outreach of the Alex and Ali Foundation, a local nonprofit group that works to empower young people with autism and other developmental disabilities. They focus on getting these young adults involved with job skill development, vocational activities and the community in general.
The boutique features work by area artists, as well as creations by young people on the autism spectrum themselves.
“It makes me happy (to be featured in Hope Gallery),” said Jimmy Kiefel, a young Carmel artist with autism who creates work for the gallery. “I can sell my work.”
Hope Gallery was born out of the Alex and Ali Foundation. The organization was founded in 2014 and named for Parker’s son, Alex, and his friend Ali Callahan. The two Center Grove-area residents have been best friends since they were in grade school. Both have autism.
Throughout Alex’s childhood, a number of resources and opportunities for enrichment were available to him, Parker said. But as he grew older, she and her husband, Andrew, realized that there were fewer and fewer ways for him to engage the community.
“When Alex graduated from high school, there is very little available for him to do,” Parker said. “There are day programs for some people who need more help, and college programs and jobs for high-functioning adults, but very little for people who are in between.”
Hope Gallery has recruited a wide variety of artists’ work to sell on consignment. Local artists such as muralist Jeff Thomas and painter Marianna Richards have their pieces hanging on the walls.
Some of the unique items were created by people with autism themsleves. Callahan makes decorative glass bottles with solar lights inside. Alex Parker puts together multimedia wall hangings that people can purchase.
Kiefel’s colorful collages, created with felt-tip pen and acrylic paint, are on display in the gallery, providing an opportunity for the 18-year-old artist to earn money from his artwork.
“It’s fun and I can make money,” he said in an email message.
Hope Gallery has also reached out to groups across the country that offer product created by those with developmental disabilities. One of the organizations organizers have partnered with is Extraordinary Ventures, a nonprofit based in North Carolina that creates self-sustaining small businesses based around the skills of adults with autism and other developmental issues.
EV Gifts is one of those businesses, employing people with autism making everything from jewelry to soy candles to leather work.
“After adults with developmental disabilities age out of the public school systems they experience a lack of services and a lack of opportunity for employment,” said Kris Benbow, business operations manager for EV Gifts. “Think how much a job contributes to someone’s independence, to their confidence, to their identity. A job is more than just a paycheck — it’s a large piece of a person’s adult life, and that piece is often inaccessible for adults with developmental disabilities.”
The organization’s mission is so closely linked with what the Alex and Ali Foundation is doing that it made perfect sense to work together, Parker said. When she reached out to EV Gifts leaders, they were excited to take part in the gallery.
“EV Gifts doesn’t have a brick and mortar shop, so having the opportunity to have our products in a place like Hope Gallery, a place that understands our mission, it’s a perfect fit for us,” Benbow said.
Currently, the gallery has a team of eight young people who work throughout the week, though other families have shown interest in getting involved, Jennifer Parker said. They open up the building in the morning, and close it down at night. They take care of organizing the items and packaging the ones that need it.
When someone buys an item, they ring the sale up on the cash register. A system of animal stickers was created so that every person can identify which artist an item should be credited to the sale, Jennifer Parker said.
“For them, it’s not only more fun to look for the animal sticker, but it’s easier than having a vendor number they need to punch in,” she said.
In addition to discovering the ins and outs of running a business, participants in the Hope Gallery program also get a chance to hone their social skills by interacting with customers, Jennifer Parker said.
“They get a chance to be part of the community, and then the community can see what they can do,” she said.
The gallery is pet-friendly, and Alex Parker is the official dog cuddler at the gallery. Whenever a customer brings their dog to the shop, it is his responsibility to greet, pet and play with the animals. And he takes his job very seriously, Jennifer Parker said.
“My son isn’t going to be here 40 hours a week, but he looks forward to coming in,” she said. “He knows how to do his job, he gets to see his friends, he gets to see the people from the community who know him. So it’s good that way.”
An area in the back of the store is set up for hands-on learning. The young adults who come to Hope Gallery learn artistic crafts such working with mosaic tiles, as well as life skills such as basic computer operation.
“They’re learning to do things that aren’t just running the shop,” Jennifer Parker said.
While the foundation that created it is named partially after Alex Parker, the gallery itself is a tribute to Hope Parker, his 11-year-old sister. She was born with a severe congenital heart defect, and has had 17 surgeries throughout her life. Hope suffered a stroke during one of those operations and is unable to communicate verbally or through sign language.
One of her primary contributions to the gallery is Hope’s Prayer Box. The brightly colored wooden box sits out on a table near the front of the store, next to a stack of paper.
The idea is for people to jot down problems or issues that they’re having that require prayer. Hope will then say a prayer for each of them.
“We read them to her, and she prays for them throughout the day. That’s how she spends her time here,” Jennifer Parker said.
Since opening in June, the gallery has focused on establishing themselves in the community and building support. The space is open four days a week, and supporters are always in need of volunteers to help at the store, people who want to teach young adults a different life skill, or artists to contribute work.
“We don’t know where this is going to lead. We’re keeping our eyes open for what’s next,” Jennifer Parker said.
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What: A boutique showcasing handmade goods, jewelry, artwork and other products, with young adults with developmental disabilities such as autism forming the store’s main workforce.
Who: The gallery is a program of the Alex and Ali Foundation, which aims to provide young adults with autism with job skill development, vocational activities and meaningful community involvement.
Where: 74 N. Main St., Bargersville
Hours: Noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday, noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday
Besides shopping at the gallery, organizers are always looking for:
- Volunteers to help out at the store
- Artists with or without disabilities that would like to consign their art or goods
- Individuals who would like to teach young adults with developmental disabilities a skill
- Donations
To help or for more information: TheAlexAndAliFoundation.com or call 317-490-2826
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