SKANEATELES - Art is much more than just something to hang on a wall and forget about.

It is something to be appreciated and discussed and shared with as many people as possible.

In many ways, this is the idea behind Skaneateles Artisans LLC, which celebrated its official grand opening earlier this month.

The new Fennell Street gallery (it's located in the old McLaughlin's department store building) is an artist co-op in every sense of the word, owned and operated by artists from Skaneateles and the surrounding area. These artists display works in every medium, from clay to oil, watercolors to

photography.

Bobbi Lamb, a potter, and Dana Brown, a woodworker, both from Cazenovia, have long been members of the Cazenovia Artisans Gallery, also a co-op. They wanted to bring that concept to Skaneateles.

“We wanted to expand,” Lamb said. “We were asking our landlord in Cazenovia (Bob Hood) if he might have a building available, and he did. And it all grew from there.”

Word quickly spread that the co-op would be opening its doors, and artists from all over were eager to become a part of it.

“We got the word out,” Brown said. “But really it just grew by word of mouth, and we were able to get this off the ground really quickly. We have 33 artists right now, and we have a waiting list of 55 more that want to be a part of this.”

Among the local artisans showing their work are Barbara Schramm of Studio 51 on East Lake Street, specializing in Bavarian folk art and painted furniture, along with her husband Jack, who builds custom furniture.

Schramm has been established in the Skaneateles art community for more than 20 years, selling her pieces at various local retailers, but she was thrilled to find out about the co-op.

“This gives you the opportunity to show all of your work,” Schramm said. “Here you can show your bigger and better pieces, the kinds of things that people might not normally see. I think this is great. We can make things locally and sell them to people who are interested in buying things locally that are made in the U.S.A. and New York and right here in Skaneateles.”

The gallery is a truly cooperative place, with all decisions being made by all the artists that are part of the facility.

“We have committees that make plans, and we all vote and have a consensus on everything we do here,” Lamb said. “Each artist gets to display their work, and someone is always here if anyone is interested in buying it; everyone is really here working for everyone else.”

This is an idea that appealed to many artists, drawing members from all over the central New York area.

“It just sounded like it would be a wonderful thing,” said Lauren Ritchie, a potter based in Syracuse. “It really is a wonderful group of very talented artists, and I like having a place like this to show my work with other artists. And everyone here is so helpful. Everyone working together like this really is the best of both worlds for an artist.”

The grand opening celebration also drew the attention of people from across the state.

“I was excited to hear a new gallery was opening,” said Rochester resident Sabra Richards. “I think Skaneateles is very lucky to have a big gallery like this, and all the artists are so friendly. I#,ve talked to at least five or six - they are so involved in what they are doing here. It is wonderful to see.”

Looking toward the future, the collective would like to see the gallery continue to grow. With a waiting list of 55 artists, that shouldn't be a problem.