In 2015, E&S Gallery was awarded the American Art Award for best gallery in Kentucky and ranked among the top 25 galleries in the country. Various public figures and companies have utilized the services of E&S Gallery over the years. Located in downtown Louisville at 108 S. 10th St., E&S Gallery is owned and operated by Walter and Cathy Smith-Shannon. Mr. Shannon founded the gallery in Louisville in 1989. Mrs. Shannon is the chief curator at E&S Gallery.

Mrs. Shannon said, “E and S is the account my husband and his business partners came up with just to open a bank account in 1989, and it stuck. The E stands for Eubanks, which is his late brother-in-law and wife, Dr. Samuel G. and Hazel Eubanks. They were the E. After a few years, Walter bought it out, and Shannon is the S. So, E and S is Eubanks and Shannon.”

Mrs. Shannon also said, “It was meant to be a temporary name when he opened the account when he started the business in 1989.”

Years before moving to 108 S. 10th St., E&S Gallery was located on Shelbyville Road in a smaller venue.

Mrs. Shannon said, “E and S was opened originally in Dorsey Plaza on Shelbyville Road, where they opened in 1989. In 1996, we moved the gallery to Seventh and Main. Then we bought this building and moved the gallery here. We specialize in art by African Americans and framing. We sold and published art. We are publishers, and we did distribute to retail galleries, but we have since eliminated that business and now deal strictly with collectors, private and individual collectors, and institutions.”

The Shannons travel nationally to various art fairs. Recently, a trip to Chicago was successful.

Mrs. Shannon said, “We just left an art fair in Chicago last weekend. We’ll be working with a private company in Sag Harbor in July. So, we help organizations raise money. We do art auctions to help them raise money. But primarily, maybe 95% to 98% of our business is done out of state. The market here in Kentucky, because we’ve been here so long, most people who collect art by African Americans have been collecting for a while. So, we move and ship all over the country.”

Mr. Shannon, before coming to Louisville, operated galleries in Northern and Southern California.

Mrs. Shannon said, “He moved to Louisville because that’s where his sister was. He wanted to be closer to his parents, who were in Memphis, without actually going back to Memphis. So, this was a logical move.”

Mrs. Shannon also said, “Walter is a pretty savvy businessperson. He understands the advantages of exhibit marketing. By that, I mean anybody can open a business. You can put up a website, put a sign on a door and say you’re open for business. Nothing happens until a sale is made. So, for E and S, our exhibit marketing is important. You can look at the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau and see what conferences are coming to town. If you know your market and who your customer is, you can visit visitor bureaus all over the country and see where your ideal client is going to be. Then you set up in exhibit halls if they offer that option. We don’t depend on the Louisville market for our business to be sustained.”

The Shannons put in many hours operating their business independently and keeping things orderly. Before entering the gallery, visitors must press the button alongside the door to be permitted inside. Once inside, visitors are met with fine art found nowhere else in Kentucky. It takes discipline to keep such an establishment going.

Mrs. Shannon said, “And it does take discipline. We’ll be set up at an event. People look at the appeal of it. We have this beautiful artwork and the booth. They look at us and what we’re selling and think, ‘OK, I want to do that.’ OK, but do you want to drive for 10 hours? Do you want to do all the work that’s involved? So, it’s a lot harder than it looks.

“If you’re dedicated to building a brand, building a business, especially if you’re a young entrepreneur, look at the Divine Nine. Those are the Greek organizations. They have annual conferences and conventions, and they have exhibitor space. If you’re not sure, you can walk through it, maybe access it. If you know a sorority person or a fraternity person, say, ‘Hey, can I come through your exhibit hall?’ and you will see hundreds of Black-owned businesses set up exhibiting and selling their products, from T-shirts to clothing to you name it.

“Think about it. You’re opening your business and sitting there waiting for somebody to come through the door. If you buy a booth somewhere, you’ve got hundreds of people walking past you. So, you know, Thunder Over Louisville, the Kentucky Derby — you can go on the Waterfront and see a hundred food vendors set up. They will have thousands of people coming past them. They can do in three days what they may not do in a month if they had a stationary brick-and-mortar location.”