Thursday, April 8, 2004

OUTLET FOR LOCAL ARTISTS OPENING IN SCIOTO SHOPPING CENTER

By NATE ELLIS
ThisWeek Staff Writer

After analyzing ways to give back to her community, a longtime Upper Arlington resident has decided to open an "art space" to display and sell local art.

Donna Road resident Diane Maute is hoping to open her new business, Ursus, at 2812 Fishinger Road, by mid-May.

At that time, the store will serve as a consignment gallery for local artists, both accomplished and aspiring. According to Maute, the store's owner and operator, it is her way of giving back to the city in which she has lived and raised a family for the past 20 years.

"I've lived here for around 20 years, and I'm real committed to it," Maute said. "When I had this vision of starting this, ... I started looking around, and every time I thought of how wonderful it is here, nothing in other places quite compared."

Her commitment to the community also is reflected in the namin g of her store. "Ursus," she said, is Latin for bear.

"It's all Upper Arlington without trying to be too in your face," she said.

The 2,500-square-foot space will allow Maute to showcase and sell works created by local artists. She also intends to use a back room at the facility for any number of purposes, including renting it for art classes.

But despite the fact that the store is at least a month away from opening, Maute is happy with its progress and that she already is displaying some art. She recently employed two Upper Arlington High School advanced-art students to design a mural covering her storefront window.

Matt Kohr, a senior, designed the mural, which includes cityscapes and a myriad of color schemes, Maute said. Dan Wickerham, a junior, assisted in the painting of the mural.

"I went to the Upper Arlington High School Art Department and Ms. (Alicia) McGinty, and I said I really would love to involve the art students on this journey," Maute said.

Maute also is allowing graffiti artists from The Ohio State University to design the decor in her store's rear room.

"This is going to be a gallery for everyone from high-school artists to accomplished artists," she said. "I think in Arlington, we've got to get businesses in here, and we've got to get them thriving. We have the best schools in the area, and I want to keep it that way by building up the businesses."

Several factors led Maute to venture into the business world. A longtime psychiatric nurse, she said she wanted to move in a new direction.

Maute also visited the World Trade Center on Sept. 10, 2001, and was in Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001, when the nation was hit with an unprecedented terrorist attack. The impact of the events, and her 50th birthday, led the self-described "hippie" to pursue the vision of an art space in Upper Arlington.

"I just wanted to bring more happiness, joy and support of artists into the community," she said. "I just want to do it, and be able to keep it open and pay my bills. I just want to keep a space open and allow artists to show their work."

Although a date has not been nailed down, Maute intends to hold a grand opening, 95 percent of which would include Upper Arlington residents and works by Upper Arlington residents. The theme of the event will be "All About Us," she said.

Additionally, Maute said, she hopes to be able to raise enough money from the event to provide a scholarship to a student in Upper Arlington's advanced-art class.

Information about the store's opening and displaying art at Ursus can be obtained by calling Maute, at 451-7358, or by visiting its Web site, at ursusartspace.com


This story ran on page 01A NEWS of ThisWeek, UpperArlington edition on 04/08/2004.

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