A haven for artists

WANTAGE — John Maione Jr. wanted to not only share art, but have ties to a local art community so when he sought an outlet that would provide him with just that and found no forum he made one himself. He is now the owner of Skylands Gallery & Studio in Wantage.

"I had the idea because I'm a painter myself and I've been painting for the past 20 years," he said. "I've been living in Sparta for seven years and have met a lot of artists. There are not a lot of outlets in the area. There are a couple in Newton but not a lot in the eastern part of the county."

Gaining interest
Although the studio and gallery is barely a week old, there is plenty of interest from local artists.

"There has been quite a bit of interest," Maione explained. "In two weeks we have five artists in the space and more planning on joining. We have had to turn away a few people. The people interested have to have art as a major part of their lives. They should be dedicated to creating art and involved in the community."

The studio has a few different options for interested artists, according to Maione.

"There is an events room where two artists get a featured show each month," he said. "There is nothing scheduled yet though as far as classes are concerned and we do have private studio space where I know one of our artists is planning on running her own classes."

Wine and cheese events
If local art fans are looking for a night out on the town, the studio also offers an option for that as well.

"We have a wine and cheese event every Saturday and then twice a month two member artists also have shows," said Maione. "There is also a competition in the Skylands area and the winner gets a piece hung in the gallery for a month."

While the gallery is a place to display art, Maione is hoping to do more than that.

"I'm trying to create an artist community," he said. "I want to display a collaborative network and get the community involved. We have prints available and originals on the wall. The gallery is all about the art. We only have art for sale. One member illustrates and publishes children's books so we would have that but nothing unrelated. We only have the originals on the walls and prints."

The studio will hold its grand opening show from 6 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6. The gallery now has six members in addition to Maione. They are Carol Chave, Rima Hamade, Lisa Lopez, Janet O'Neil, Diane Suter and Bruce Young. Membership to the gallery is open to residents of the Skylands area. There is a jury process for prospective members because the gallery is looking for active artists, for whom their art is a major part of their life. More information can be found at skylandsgallery.com.