Black-owned Businesses: Hearne Fine Art

Elevate, Serve

While it was still within operating hours, the doors of Hearne Fine Art were closed one particular Wednesday afternoon. Co-owner Garbo Hearne needed a little break to refresh the Little Rock gallery, including painting on the walls and refinishing the floor.

It had been five years since she last spruced up the place, and it was time to do it again.

“Every time you hang an exhibition, that’s another hole in the wall and another spackle,” she said. “I just try to keep it fresh.”

Founded in 1988 by Hearne and her husband, Archie, the gallery has been on a mission to “recognize and promote the power of African American art in the quest to generate and sustain generational wealth.” Now in its fourth location in the historic Dunbar neighborhood, one of the oldest Black communities in the state, the gallery has thrived over the decades, scoring exhibitions with nearly 75 artists, including sculptor (and astronaut) Ed Dwight, watercolorist Dean Mitchell, and textile artist Bisa Butler.

Hearne also strives to showcase past artists who risk being lost to time and recently featured an exhibition called Pioneers of the Paint, which included four masters from the 19th century.

“It was really exciting to bring that work,” Hearne said. “We wanted to bring the oldest work by Black artists and show the value of it, and it does last because this is work from the 1800s, and we still continue to work with that collection.”

Featuring something for every taste and budget, the gallery features about 100 pieces of work at any given time, price tags ranging from $50 to $500,000.

“We try to make it so it’s for everybody,” she said, “and that’s the beauty of my job, that I can change it. We are always looking forward to the next exhibition, so if you come here and you don’t see an artist or an art form you like, you just don’t like art.”

Part of the gallery’s mission is using art to educate, grow relationships and build a stronger future, she said.

“Art is one of those things: The value remains no matter what’s going on in the world,” she said. “When you buy a piece of art, when you hand it down to your son or nephew or give it to an institution, you are building generational wealth.”

In addition to co-owning the art gallery with his wife, Archie Hearne is also a practicing family medicine physician in Little Rock. Growing up in California, he started collecting art in college before moving to Arkansas in 1983, a move that his wife described as “a big culture shock” for him.

Garbo Hearne grew up in Arkansas and was a practicing nurse when she met Archie, but after marrying and having children, the couple decided to open the first iteration of Hearne Fine Art: a print gallery focused on local artists and Black culture.

“This was a way for me to be the mother I wanted to be,” she said. “It was another effort to build something for our children to be a part of and learn about their culture. There were no galleries or bookstores with the focus on Black culture at the time.”

The couple soon began selling books and eventually custom framing services before also adding fine art. They have since separated the bookstore and framing business into a separate entity — Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing — located next door to the gallery.

Since they first opened their doors and through all the subsequent evolutions, Hearne said the community response has always been supportive, even if ongoing education is still required.

“I think we’ve always had a great response because we’re still surviving,” she said, “but there were questions from the media: ‘Why Black art? What’s the difference, and why does it matter?’ Similar to what’s going on now, it really does matter that you know where you’re from. We’re all a melting pot, but I do think it’s important if you’re interested and have the wherewithal to make that focus happen — and do it correctly.”

Closing in on four decades of serving the local art community, Hearne said she is grateful to serve many repeat customers and for the chance to help so many people build their own art collections. She is also proud of her work with the Six Bridges Book Festival, and in addition to a regular art exhibition, each year, the gallery brings in an illustrator to visit schools, primarily in disadvantaged communities, to show one of the possible career paths of an artist. Last year, Hearne brought in award-winning illustrator and author Vanessa Brantley-Newton.

Another one of her top accomplishments, she said, is bringing high-caliber artists to Arkansas and shining a light on local artists and authors, all to provide a platform for them to tell their stories.

Just as Hearne is focused on educating and empowering future generations through the power of art, she also looks ahead to her own future and how to ensure Hearne Fine Art remains a fixture in the Little Rock community. That means doing a better job of embracing technology, including social media, she said, and even possibly passing down the business to one of her four children.

While she has no plans to grow or expand the gallery, she nevertheless remains enthusiastic about her work and Hearne’s place in the community.

“I’m at a crossroads right now, but at least I know I’m there, and I know what I’m doing five years from now, and I know what I’m doing next month,” she said. “I feel like the sky’s the limit. I’m not confined by anyone.”