My Tenderness Tour events have long taken me around the state of Indiana and, at times, even around…read morethe country. As a grassroots activist and writer/speaker, I tend to come in contact with a lot of other people who are using creativity to make the world a better place. It was during one of my trips that I ended up in the Rochester, Indiana area and ended up receiving press coverage from Shelby Lopez, a photographer who was doing work for the local newspaper.
Most of my road connections end up being just that - road connections. However, I had a great experience in Rochester and nearby Peru and Shelby is a connection I've maintained. She and her friends ended up coming down to Indy for my final Tenderness Tour in 2019. When they started a project called Digital Wolf Network, I was supportive and would end up being featured in their magazine and I've even written one essay for their magazine.
The Native Nook is located on Main Street in Rochester. It's a creative hub for all things Digital Wolf and is also a local art gallery that carries local, regional, and national artists who are likeminded. Essentially, it's membership-based gallery of artists who are using creativity to make the world a better place.
Located right next to the Times Theater (amazing building), The Native Nook is an evening and weekend gallery. This means, it's only open evenings and weekends and does have some fluctuation. If you show up during the day, you'll most likely be disappointed unless there's some sort of special event in which The Native Nook is participating.
The Native Nook hosts art, of course, along with special events, You can also rent the space and they periodically offer artist exhibits, book signings, and other appearances. The Native Nook celebrates diversity with an amazing and awesome array of different folks. Young artists are also celebrated here and empowered.
Memberships for artists are surprisingly affordable, though great care is taken to ensure artists tend to be consistent with the spirit of The Native Nook. I think I'd describe that spirit as somewhere between openly progressive and intensely familial. The folks involved can be very different in some ways, yet there's such a strong creative common bond that it feels like there's a true familial devotion to one another - while I'm not from Rochester and don't get there often, I've experienced that devotion when they show up and are truly involved in my events.
The Native Nook offers a glimpse inside Digital Wolf magazine, hosting space for podcasts, and hosts art from all mediums including paint, sculpture, and others. They do sell books, as well, and I'm hoping they'll include my upcoming book.
I find the prices to be a wide range - there's definitely something for everyone. They've also recently added a website showing a good amount of their art work that you can also purchase online and truly be supporting a local art gallery and local artists.
I'm definitely a huge fan of this warm, creative space and the people who run it. If you're in Rochester, I'd definitely check it out. If you're not in Rochester, I'd check out some local art work on their website. You can also get copies of their magazines and listen to the "On the Burner" podcast. It's awesome.
Generally, accessibility is solid throughout. The entryway is accessible and the gallery itself is situated in such a way that it's easy to get around. However, if a bit of assistance is needed there's no doubt this crew will do what they can!
