Kudos art cooperative in downtown Mount Vernon returning to normal hours

MOUNT VERNON – Kudos is coming back.

The artists’ cooperative on Main Street next to the Grand Hotel will resume its normal hours as the COVID-19 pandemic finally lifts its grip.

The cooperative has 21 artists — from potters to photographers — who sell their work at the downtown gallery.

“Almost all of them have had both of their COVID-19 shots,” Kudos founder and manager Marsha Ernst told the Mount Vernon News. “So we feel a lot more comfortable for their safety, and of course we follow all the procedures of masking, social distancing and hand sanitizing.”

As of April, the gallery will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Artists pay a 5% commission on sales to the cooperative, a fraction of the amount a commercial gallery would charge, Ernst said.

“It’s the best deal in the world,” she said. “For commercial galleries, 40% to 50% is pretty standard.”

Another benefit of the cooperative is that it brings together artists from the local community.

“They can support one another,” Ernst said. “They can talk about their art. The money is nice. Nobody is getting rich, but they are having a rich opportunity to come together as an art community.”

The most recent artist to join the cooperative is Lani Edwards, a photographer who is originally from South Africa and more recently from Columbus.

She and her husband were not happy in Columbus.

“Since we could both work from home, we drove around and the few times we drove through Mount Vernon, it just felt right,” Edwards said. They decided to buy a house in Apple Valley.

The cooperative screens artists before accepting them, not only on the quality of their work but also to make sure that a variety of mediums are represented.

“I also like that the majority of us are local,” Edwards said. “There’s a lot of talent here. Who knew there was so much talent in Mount Vernon?”

The Kudos gallery has also been a boost to downtown.

“We have lots and lots of people who come from Cleveland specifically to come to Kudos,” she said. “A lot of people come from Columbus. We’ve had people from all over. I think we contribute a lot to the cultural scene in Knox County.”  

Before COVID-19, the members offered art classes at the Main Street location.

“Hopefully, those times are going to come back soon,” Ernst said.