Wünderarts: New gallery on the block

By Bonnie Wells

Published on August 03, 2007

Last week at the former Hapco store on Main Street in Amherst the walls awaited a final coat of paint, and a brace of electricians was hard at work creating more ceiling outlets for gallery-grade track lighting. But by Saturday at 5 p.m., when Wünderarts throws open the doors on its inaugural exhibition, the transformation of the former auto parts store into Amherst's latest gallery will be complete.

Wünderarts is the creation of two Pelham couples, Nora and Tony Maroulis and Jim Lumley and Mimi Dakin. "It's been a long-held dream," said Nora, who is the director of development and marketing at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst. "I said it would happen further down the road - when we retire, or when the kids are out of school - but the thing is, when opportunity presents itself, you have to take it."

In a Bulletin story last summer announcing their plans for the gallery, the Maroulises explained that the opportunity presented itself after they threw a party at their home to showcase the work of their friend, Amherst artist Derek Noble. Lumley, who had been their realtor when they moved to the Valley five years ago from New York, was at the party, and two months later approached them about collaborating on a gallery.

After purchasing the building at 383 Main St., Jim and Tony set about renovating the 2,200-square-foot space and navigating the permitting and inspection process.

"What I like about it is that it retains the industrial feel," Tony said. Above the nine-foot ceiling they found a 10-foot ceiling, and beyond that, at 14 feet, they found the original tin ceiling panels of the circa 1940s building, which nearly doubled the space.

The opening exhibition, titled "InsideOut" and on view through Sept. 23, features works by Amherst artists Derek Noble and Dean Brown.

A practicing architect, Noble's textured compositions in acrylic on panel create fields defined by bold color in which amoeboid elements stake their claims. Brown, a Brooklyn expatriate, is showing two series in graphite on paper, one inspired by watching his house being built in Amherst; the other based on the riotous arching and intersecting branches of the trees in his new backyard.

A sampling of their works appears on Wnderarts' new Web site, www.wunderarts.com.

The Maroulises - Tony in particular - will assume responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the gallery. Taking it one step at a time, they haven't set the gallery's niche in stone, but they know what they like.

"Tony and I met in New York at the Metropolitan [Museum of Art]," said Nora, "but the place we felt most at home was at The Dia Foundation, an exhibition space on W. 22nd St. in Chelsea that specialized in minimalist color-field painting works and installation art."

"We love all kinds of art," Tony said, "but there are venues for realism and impressionism in the area. There are not as many venues for conceptual and contemporary artists."

Above all, Nora said, they are most interested in art that gets people thinking and talking, and that provides a respite from the busy-ness of everyday life. "Beauty - in the sense of something you experience that gives you a moment of pleasure, clarity, remembrance or possibility - is very important to us," she said.

Ultimately, Tony added, "We want to have our own stable of 12 to 15 artists that we show regularly. It would be a measure of success for us if they sprout wings and go forth."

"The key point of what we're trying to do is create space for emerging artists but for emerging collectors as well," Nora said. "We want to be the place where people can dip their toes in the water."

Wnderarts grand opening celebration takes place Saturday, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the gallery at 383 Main St. in Amherst. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment. For more information, call the gallery at (413) 256-6600 or visit the Web site at wunderarts.com.