Art Abounds in Maitland

by Jill Duff-Hoppes

For years, Susanne Sabbatino-Pellicane has made it her personal mission to promote and highlight the talents of local artists – particularly the creativity of women artists. Susanne frequently displays gorgeous, colorful art on the walls of a professional office building she owns in Maitland.

“I represent female artists because we are so under-represented in museums,” says Susanne, a real-estate entrepreneur who is also an artist and art collector. “We’re banding together in a real coalition.”

Currently, Susanne’s three-story building (known as the Sawmill Center) at 711 North Orlando Avenue is featuring the work of nearly a dozen artists from the prestigious Crealdé School of Art, a nonprofit community arts organization in Winter Park.

Susanne credits one of her forward-thinking tenants, Jessica “Jess” Olin, for making the connection with Crealdé. Jess is a Pilates specialist with DBT Orlando, a collective of holistic therapy practitioners. When Jess took on the task of decorating their large office space, she wanted to avoid run-of-the-mill artwork.

“I said, ‘Why don’t we get some local art instead of generic IKEA art, so I reached out to Crealdé,” Jess explains. “They were super excited about it, and Susanne just loved the idea. It’s a win-win situation because we get our walls covered, and they get to display their work. And if the art sells, it’s great!”

Susanne was such a fan of the collaboration that she gave Jess and Crealdé the green light to extend the exhibit beyond the DBT offices into the long hallway on the Sawmill Center’s second floor. The exhibit was curated by Patricia Byron, program manager for Crealdé’s painting and drawing department, and a faculty member at       the school.

The art show features 2-D work by Crealdé fellowship students, studio artists, Patricia, and two other faculty members – the majority of whom are women. Among them is Jewish artist Vera Gubnitskaia, whose watercolor, oil, pastel, and mixed-media paintings are on display (see the accompanying sidebar to learn more about Vera and her                   appealing artwork).

“I love what Patricia did,” Susanne says. “She staged the show beautifully. The work in the Crealdé show is so varied. That’s what I love – the vitality just jumping from the walls.”

Patricia says she and the other featured artists are grateful for the opportunity to show their work in Susanne’s              upscale building.

“We’re very community-oriented, so we jumped at the chance,” says Patricia, an abstract artist. “During COVID, there weren’t a lot of opportunities for artists, and little by little, they’ve started opening up. We were just all so delighted to participate.”

Vera, a studio artist with representational and abstract work in the show, wholeheartedly agrees with Patricia.

“I think it’s an amazing space,” says Vera. “The hallways are well-lit, there’s a lot of room, and there are a lot of people coming through the building. I’m very happy that we are able to show there.”

Extreme Office Makeover

Susanne remembers the Sawmill Center’s early days when the plain walls gave her tenants’ working environment a sterile feeling.

“I couldn’t bear even coming into the building,” recalls Susanne, who has since infused the space with color and life through numerous solo and group art exhibits. “Now, it is a marquee building that is housing      great artwork.”

The shows that Susanne presents fall under the auspices of ROB Galleries, an acronym for properties she owns in Rome, Orlando, and Brooklyn – all of which prominently feature women artists.

Recently, Susanne put the 30,000-plus-square-foot Sawmill Center, which is near the Maitland SunRail station, on the market for sale. The Crealdé artwork will remain on display through the summer, after which Susanne intends to bring in another professionally curated exhibit. The idea is for all three floors to be fully decorated with a permanent art collection – featuring all women artists – when the building sells.

“We need to surround ourselves with art as much as possible, in our lives, in our homes, and in our offices,” Susanne says. “I’m leading by example and housing great artwork by fabulous artists. I just feel so surrounded by so much talent and creativity that I can’t let it go.”