Museums aren't the only options for Indianapolis art lovers. Area galleries display everything from traditional oil paintings to pop-surrealist vinyl sculptures.

And despite the apprehensions of newbies, browsers are just as welcome as buyers, owners insist. In fact, window shopping has reached a new level of acceptance, thanks to the growing popularity of gallery walks.

During these events, proprietors remain open beyond normal operating hours to entice first-timers and longstanding clientele alike to peruse works -- often with appetizers and drinks supplementing the art.

Every month, for example, the First Friday walks, sponsored by the Indianapolis Downtown Artists & Dealers Association, involve galleries in Fountain Square and along and near Massachusetts Avenue, Indiana Avenue and the Downtown Canal, as well as Herron School of Art, Harrison Center for the Arts and other locations.

"The First Friday and the gallery openings have provided a wonderful opportunity to introduce a whole new audience to art," says Mark Ruschman, owner of Ruschman Art Gallery.

"New clientele and new faces are showing up at the gallery. . . . It gives people a comfort level. It also gives them options. They can pop their head in the door and say, 'Eh, this is not what I want to look at. But we've got 20 other places we can go.'"

But you don't have to wait for the next scheduled walk to start exploring the local gallery scene. Plan your own tour. Following are just a few places to get started.

Ruschman Art Gallery

Where: 948 N. Alabama St.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Price range: $500 to $10,000.

Exhibitions/events: "Form and Sensuality" by James Tyler (ceramic figures and paintings), through Oct. 27; "New Paintings" by Nancy Morgan Barnes, Nov. 2-30; IDADA First Friday Gallery Walk, 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 2.

Info: (317) 634-3114, www.ruschmangallery.com.

When Ruschman opened his original gallery on Massachusetts Avenue in 1985, the venture was a leap of faith.

"This is before the Circle Centre mall," he recalls. "This is before the avenue itself had gone through a transformation. This is even pre-O'Malia's. A major portion of the avenue at that time was boarded up."

But Ruschman had vision, along with a strong commitment to developing the local arts scene. "From the very beginning, I was sold on the idea of being part of a bigger visual arts community and this whole notion of the revitalization of Downtown," he says.

The gallery flourished, and in 1995, he moved to his current location on North Alabama Street in the St. Joseph neighborhood. It's a quiet area where customers park for free along the street outside before perusing the contemporary works displayed in his 2,000-square-foot space.

Ruschman represents some 60 artists who create paintings, sculptures, textiles, mixed media works -- even public art and installations. Most boast Indiana ties, having lived, worked or studied in the state at some point.

Usually, the gallery's north room features representative works from a variety of artists, while the south space focuses on a special exhibit or pieces from a select artist.

Ruschman suggests devoting enough time during your first visit to become acquainted with the offerings. "The thing about contemporary fine art is you do have to spend some time with it. . . . My advice is, spend a good half-hour, 45 minutes in a gallery. Really look it over. . . . And then certainly ask questions. Learn about the artist, learn about the artist's influences, get a better understanding of why the artist is doing what they're doing."

The Munce Arts Center at the SullivanMunce Cultural Center

Where: 205 W. Hawthorne St., Zionsville.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Price range: Varies.

Exhibitions/events: "HyperView: The Art of Susan Fleck, Dan Annarino and Katrina Murray," through Nov. 17.

Info: (317) 873-6862, www.sullivanmunce.org.

The Munce Arts Center opened in 1981 as a legacy of benefactor Mary Elizabeth Hopkins Munce, a Zionsville resident in the early 1900s.

"She wanted to start a gallery, an arts center, where emerging and professional artists could show their works," explains Jodie Hardy, the center's director.

Visitors find a variety of media displayed, including photography, paintings, pastels, sculptures, ceramics and jewelry -- occasionally even art furniture. And while works are for sale, "we aren't pushing that," Hardy says. "This is not a commercial gallery. We are just trying to showcase the work of Indiana artists."

That includes new artists. Hardy is working with the Herron School of Art and Design to organize a senior-thesis show at the center next spring.

Part of the center's appeal comes from the structure itself. "We are housed in a very charming bungalow house built in 1910," Hardy says. "It's not institutional. It kind of opens them up to viewing the art in a much more relaxed manner."

In keeping with that casual theme, the center hosts an annual holiday market in November and offers a series of classes for kids, teens and adults, with topics including ceramics, sculptures, drawing, painting and mixed media.

Art is available at "all prices," Hardy says. "We see it more focused on the art itself."

Kuaba Gallery

Where: 876 Massachusetts Ave.

Hours: Noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Price range: $30 to $15,000.

Upcoming exhibitions/events: IDADA First Friday Gallery Walk, 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 2.

Info: (317) 955-8405, www.kuaba.com.

It's hard to decide what is more inspiring about Kuaba Gallery -- the contemporary African artworks on display, or the fact that 5 percent of sales benefit African children.

Since opening her gallery on Mass Ave. in 2001, owner Jayne During has been devoted to showcasing paintings, sculptures (wood, metal and stone), ceramics and decorative accent pieces -- works that go beyond the traditional masks and carvings seen elsewhere.

But equally important to her are opportunities to educate the public about the works through artist visits, workshops and special exhibitions, and the chance to share the gallery's successes with the African people.

Through the Kuaba Humanitarian Foundation, During works with 4,000 children in Zimbabwe during several yearly visits, often with special guests in tow. Recent travel companions have included students from the International School of Indiana and musicians from the Juilliard School in New York.

"It's great whenever I go there and I see the joy on the children's faces," During says. "And then when I go with people, and (see) how they respond to the children, that has really been wonderful. And of course, the gallery has been an avenue for that."

Inside the cheerful Mass Ave. space, visitors browse through works by notable artists such as Zimbabwean sculptor Dominic Benhura and Brazilian painter Christine Drummond.

Northside residents, take note: During plans to open a gallery in Carmel soon.

Excellent Virtu

Where: 1114 E. Prospect St.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Price range: $45 to $10,000.

Upcoming exhibitions/events: IDADA First Friday Gallery Walk, 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 2.

Info: (317) 687-0450, www.excellentvirtu.com.

One of the newest kids on the art-scene block is also one of the brashest. Pop surrealist gallery Excellent Virtu opened last spring on Fountain Square's Prospect Street, bringing a hip new sensibility to Indy's arts community.

This representative of the Pop Arts movement showcases work that proudly flourishes outside the mainstream, says owner Tom Jones. "The whole movement's based on art for art's sake, not art because it's decorator-friendly."

Thus the name "Virtu," which derives from the Latin word for "strength." "People come in, sit down and it's like they clap their hands because it's Christmas morning," Jones says. "They can't help but touch things and walk around and just have fun."

That's because the works on display -- Jones represents some 20 artists -- reflect a whimsical perspective with a twist.

"It's really fun stuff," says Jones. "It's childlike, but it's got a darkness to it, like when we were little and we loved 'The Addams Family' and 'The Munsters.' It kind of gives you that feeling again, kind of a Disney Haunted Mansion feeling."

Featured artists include Michael Parkes, a self-described "magical realist painter, sculptor and stone lithographer," and Eyvind Earle, whose experience as an illustrator included work on Disney's "Sleeping Beauty," "Peter Pan" and "Lady and the Tramp."

The gallery also spotlights emerging artists, including painters Mark Ryden, Lori Earley, Joe Sorren, Glenn Barr, Andrew Brandou, Tim Biskup (who also creates toys and digital works) and Gary Baseman (a painter and vinyl-toy artist).

Magdalena Gallery of Art

Where: 27 E. Main St., Carmel.

Hours: Noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Price range: The low hundreds to around $9,000.

Upcoming exhibitions/events: Works by Rita Spalding, 6 to 10 p.m. Nov. 9.

Info: (317) 844-0005, www.magdalenagallery.com.

Striking. Stunning. Magnetic. These are just a few of the adjectives that come to mind when entering Carmel's Magdalena Gallery of Art.

Owner and artist Magdalena Hoyos-Segovia, however, sums up the appeal of her contemporary gallery in one simple word: color.

"I'm in love with color," the native of Veracruz, Mexico, explains. "I have made that my motive for the gallery. I want people to be seduced by color, not be afraid of color; and to see that they can bring color into the home and, really, happiness."

Hoyos-Segovia's own paintings celebrate that emotion as expressed through relationships ("I sell hearts, and the way that the bodies react to each other, and people get that, and they like it," she says), and she seeks out other artists -- both established and emerging -- whose work is equally uplifting.

Glittering pieces by Hoosier glass sculptor Lisa Pelo-McNiece ("probably the best glass blower in the state," says Hoyos-Segovia) are featured prominently, as are vivid landscape paintings by Ohio artist Charles Emery Ross.

Local artist James Wille Faust displays his eye-catching geometric paintings, and Brazilian painter Claudio Souza Pinto's whimsical works win fans as well.

Artist Guillermo Ceniceros is so beloved in his native Mexico that the country's government opened a museum named for him in 1995. Hoyos-Segovia also encourages young artists. A teacher at the Carmel Academy of the Arts, she will soon begin displaying outstanding student works on one wall of her gallery.

She also hopes to entice art novices to the display space. On nice days, she opens the gallery doors, plays inviting music and hopes for curious walk-ins. "I think that to teach a community to enjoy art, you have to let them fall in love with it. . . . Basically for me, art is to be viewed and enjoyed. It's visual pleasure. I want them to just enjoy it."

Editions Limited Gallery of Fine Art

Where: 838 E. 65th St.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Price range: $75 to $35,000.

Upcoming exhibitions/events: Holiday Celebration with gallery artists, November and December.

Info: (317) 466-9940, www.editionsltd.com.

The city's oldest gallery dates back to 1969, and the lineup at the Broad Ripple space is as impressive as its longevity.

Close to 70 artists are represented, from well-known Indianapolis resident K.P. Singh to modern masters including Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall and Roy Lichtenstein.

But don't let the museum-status names intimidate you. "Art should be for everybody," Amanda Presnell, gallery director, emphasizes. "It's certainly not something just for the wealthy."

So in addition to those big names, Editions also stocks small works on paper. Poster and print catalogs are available for those wanting to decorate a space without a heavy investment. "We work very hard to fit everyone's budget," Presnell says.

The gallery also provides custom-framing services and sponsors special exhibits, artist lectures and demonstrations. And it's not unusual, Presnell says, to serve the grown children of original clients.

"Another thing we strive for is really working closely with our clients, helping them in the education process and really working to help them find exactly what they're looking for. Customer service is one of our strengths, and I think that is something people really come back for."

Besides, she adds, one-time browsers often turn into longtime aficionados. "Once you learn about art -- we call it getting the art bug -- you just want to keep going and see what else is new and what's coming out. That's always exciting. It's never dull."

By Julie Cope Saetre, Correspondent