Art and Soul

When Karen Walker was in the seventh grade, she was inspired to work with blind children. It’s a calling she has pursued tirelessly for years and one that has grown in ways she never envisioned.

Walker has worked as a teacher for the blind and visually impaired and served as an ​​orientation and mobility instructor. She founded Allied Instructional Services, an Inc. 500 company that provides schools and government agencies with staff and programs for developing individuals with special needs. She’s been an adjunct professor and a Virginia
state councilwoman.

Now, she’s a gallerist.

“I knew nothing about art,” Walker said in discussing the opening of her gallery, Able Artists. “I knew what I liked, but I couldn’t tell you the value of one thing over another.”

It may seem strange — a gallerist who knows nothing about art. But Walker never planned to open a gallery.

Her oldest daughter, Lauren Walker, is an artist who does fractal wood burning and has Asperger Syndrome. She and her mother used to participate in art fairs, but the work and travel involved were taxing. Lauren often needed support setting up and breaking down her booth. Then, most art fairs closed due to the pandemic.

Pre-pandemic, Karen Walker’s daughter Lauren Walker (above, left) displayed her work at art fairs. When COVID-19 forced those fairs to shutter, Karen decided to rent Lauren a studio space in Railroad Square, but the only space available was 2,000 square feet. Thus, Able Artists Gallery was born. Photo by Alicia Osborne

So, Walker decided to rent Lauren a place where she could display and sell her work. Lauren suggested they look into Railroad Square, and Walker endorsed the idea.

Lauren quickly found a space she liked, but it proved to be unavailable. A property manager informed the Walkers that the only possibility he had was a large one measuring 2,000 square feet.

Walker got to thinking. She reasoned that Lauren was likely not the only disabled artist who needed a space. She signed a lease, laid down carpet and posted a call to artists on social media.

The Able Artists Gallery was born.

“My world is disabilities,” Walker said. “I went to school and graduated from Florida State teaching blind children. There’s so much more we could do if we just wanted to make money, but I don’t want to deviate from that.”

“We’re different,” said gallery manager Suz Nellis. “Ms. Karen is super altruistic — she really is in it for service and wants to bring a venue to people and support them.”

Able Artists Gallery has become a sanctuary for its team and featured artists. Pictured above from right to left: gallery curator Suzanne Nellis, print shop manager Matthew Curran, Lauren Walker and her service animal, Aspen, artist Jacqueline “Jax” Phelps, gallery friend Ben Fox and Karen Walker. Photo by Alicia Osborne

The gallery features artists from around the country including John Bramblitt, a blind muralist from Texas, and ​Ian Shearer, a Seattle-based painter. But many, like Jax Phelps, live in the Tallahassee area.

Before Able Artists was established, Phelps had never showcased her art in a gallery.

“I’m not a very socially adept person,” she said. “So talking about my art and showing it was hard — having the faith to put it on that wall was scary.”

Phelps titled her section of the gallery Weirdness on Parade. “I thought that if I’m putting my art out there, I’m going to put it out there. And the weirdest piece sold!”

She “hung up and hollered” after the gallery called about the sale.

“There’s nothing like the feeling of selling your first piece of artwork,” said Matt Curran, Able Artist Gallery’s print shop manager. “It’s pretty awesome.”

Curran is a disabled U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and photographer. Before working for Walker, he didn’t have much experience with fine art printing. Now, it’s his full-time gig.

“Ms. Karen gave me the opportunity to learn something new,” Curran said.

As the print shop manager, Curran works with other artists to create digital prints and high-quality reproductions of their work. “Art don’t fly off the walls,” Nellis said, and the print shop helps the gallery pay the bills.

Able Artists offers much more to its artists and workers than a paycheck.

“I love having a place to put my art, but I also feel like I belong here,” Phelps said. “Everyone is so warm and welcoming, and Karen has a shining soul — she does. The community of it and the entire mission of this gallery is beautiful.”

The gallery has helped Lauren improve her social skills.

“It’s really opened her up,” Walker said. “Even when people don’t buy her art, they say, ‘Wow, this stuff is so cool, it’s so beautiful’ — it makes her feel good.”

The gallery features artists from around the country and has something for everyone — ceramics and wares, paintings and photographs. Photo by Alicia Osborne

Curran likes being in an environment where he can work comfortably.

“Everyone here has special ways of working,” he said. “I’m not a huge people person, and I get overwhelmed. But they are good about letting me
be myself.”

“When artists are submitting their work, I tell them that they don’t have to use their name if they don’t want people to know they have a disability,” Walker said. “But just about everybody is like, ‘This is me, this is who I am.’ It’s pretty cool.”

From ceramics and wares to paintings and photographs, Able Artists has a large, varied inventory. The gallery, located at 4 Railroad Square, No. 640 in Tallahassee, is open Monday through Friday from 1–5 p.m. and during the Railroad Square Art District’s monthly “First Friday” event.