Paul Henry's Art Gallery is an absolute gem of a place, a credit to northwest Indiana. Most visitors probably know it for the weekly acoustic open mic on Thursdays, but it also happens to be a wonderful gallery that hosts various artist receptions and other events pretty regularly. The collection is large, and changes frequently enough that if you come back in a month or so you're very likely to see a whole bunch of stuff you haven't seen before.
The open mic night is $5 to get in, and also features a pot luck. Bringing food gets you a discount on entry, and being a performer yourself or an exhibiting artist in the gallery gets one, as well. Any combination of two of these criteria means free entry; I play music there fairly regularly, so I pay $3, and it is definitely worth it to support the gallery and enjoy the atmosphere. Coffee and non-alcoholic punch are provided, but it's also BYOB, so if you absolutely must imbibe, you can bring your goodies.
Although I've been to the gallery roughly 50 times or so, I always notice something I hadn't seen before. More often than not, the piece had been there the whole time, but there's so much sensory overload going on that it is really easy to miss really wonderful pieces, which makes returning an adventure. The overall atmosphere of the place is perfect, as the building is about a hundred years old and has endless charm. It doesn't hurt that the owner, David Mueller, is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, with strong knowledge and love of art.
I'm not actually from Indiana, but businesses like Paul Henry's really make the northwest Indiana region much more appealing. Definitely a huge feather in the cap of the area, and a must visit for anyone who loves art. read more