Susan Moremen is the owner and director of Moremen Gallery on West Main Street downtown. She lives in the Cherokee Triangle.
Describe the space you’re in right now.
“I’ve never been happier, more inspired, entertained and fulfilled than I am right now.”
How’d you make your first dollar?
“Working at Mister Donut. That didn’t last long.”
What would you do as mayor for a day?
“Require all new development projects to earmark a percentage of their budget to local artworks.”
When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?
“The boss. Why not?”
The weirdest place somebody has recognized you in public?
“On the steps of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia.”
In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
“Think about art, talk about art, teach about art and hopefully sell art.”
Your most noticeable quirk?
“I’ve never noticed.”
Who’s doing big things in Louisville under the radar?
“Al Shands and Julien Robson with Great Meadows Foundation, which gives travel grants to area artists and curators that allow them to directly experience the works and ideas of important artists in the international contemporary art world. They are also supporting initiatives like Ruckus Louisville and Under Main, which are providing art criticism and journalism that has disappeared from our mainstream media.”
Your drink?
“Gin and tonic during daylight saving time. Scotch on the rocks when it gets cold.”
Favorite thing hanging on the walls at home?
“Elizabeth With an Engine in Her Hair, a pastel painting by Julie Bodega that won a blue ribbon at the state fair.”
What brings you the greatest joy?
“Finding a young artist whose work I can’t wait to show, seeing them grow and succeed, and writing them a commission check.”
What are you wearing right now?
“My favorite gray sweater with holes in it.”
What Louisville dish have you eaten the most?
“Beef tenderloin tacos at Havana Rumba and pork carnitas at Lilly’s.”
Best book you’ve read over the past year?
“Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson (nonfiction), followed by Sing, Unburied, Sing, by Jesmyn Ward (fiction). Both deal with America’s history of unfairness in the criminal-justice system.”
Something you wish you had known when you were younger?
“Believe in yourself, don’t worry about what other people think and teach other people how to treat you.”
What three people (living or dead) would be on the guest list to your ideal dinner party?
“Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and my dad.”
If Actors Theatre staged a production about your life, what would it be called?
“Zig and Zag.”
Do you believe in ghosts?
“I saw one in a hotel in Florence. It was a former convent, and she was a young nun.”
Where do you go to be alone?
“I walk my dog on the trails in Cherokee Park, which has to be one of the most beautiful places in this city.”
If you could write it yourself, what would your headstone say?
“She Did It Right, She Did It Big and She Gave It Class.”
What makes somebody a Louisvillian?
“If they can get from place to place on the side streets and know where (the St. Matthews) Sears used to be.”
PLUS 8 MORE
Your overused word?
“Fabulous!”
On your nightstand?
“Too many unread books.”
Last online purchase?
“A brass flush valve to fix a toilet.”
Can’t-miss TV show?
“Game of Thrones.”
Favorite movie scene?
“Thelma and Louise blowing up the semi-truck.”
Greatest movie ending?
“Psycho.”
What/who makes you laugh?
“My dog, Skylar.”
What’s Louisville missing?
“Direct flights.”
This originally appeared in the February 2020 issue of Louisville Magazine. To subscribe to Louisville Magazine, click here. To find us on newsstands, click here.
Illustration by Shae Goodlett, shaedraws.com
