Saginaw Art Market
November 5th, 2011

Court Street Gallery to close as the Pedinis take a family breather

Published: Wednesday, April 13, 2011

By Sue White | The Saginaw News

For three years, Sarah and Paolo Pedini have burned bright on the Saginaw arts scene.

The power couple, he's the artist; she's the organizer showcased local artists and poets at their Court Street Gallery. They rallied the forces in fundraisers for the Saginaw Art Museum, and drew hundreds to the Saginaw Art Market in Old Town Saginaw.

And on Tuesday, they announced that they're stepping aside, turning their focus back on their young sons Vincent and Viggo, and on Paolo's own art. The gallery at 417 Hancock will close Sunday, May 1, Sarah Pedini said, and will reopen soon after as a thrift shop.

"We need to take a break," Pedini said. "We were at a point where $900 a month was going back out, with the expense of keeping our boys in day care and Paolo away from his art as we operated the gallery.

"He won best of the best in the Great Lakes Bay Region for the past two years, and he can't put 100 percent into his work right now. And we both realize that we're missing important milestones in our sons' lives."

The Pedinis opened the Court Street Gallery at 414 Court in Old Town Saginaw in June 2009 and a year later moved it to a ground-floor gallery a block away, at 417 Hancock.

In addition to exhibits, they held art classes and poetry readings, and sold Saginaw Love T-shirts and merchandise.

"People can still get that on our website, www.courtstgallery.com," Pedini said. But there are no plans at this point, she said, to continue the Saginaw Art Market.

"We're going to take a year off, and who knows? Maybe we'll find that we're going stir-crazy," she said. "We can't thank the community enough for greeting us with open arms and respect. We're so appreciative of the support we've received through the years.

"Things may change again when the boys start school; we may become active again in some fashion. But for the moment, we just need to step back."

Saginaw's art community responds to the Pedinis' decision to close the Court Street Gallery

Published: Wednesday, April 13, 2011

By Sue White | The Saginaw News 

Sarah and Paolo Pedini's decision to close the Court Street Gallery and focus on family in the coming year is a tremendous loss to Saginaw's art community, say those who've worked with the couple in recent years.

But the work the Pedinis have begun, drawing attention to artists around the Great Lakes Bay Region and raising the community's quality of life, will continue to influence the way other groups reach out in years to come, they promise.

Read more about the Pedinis' plans here. 

"We're really going to miss them," said Nancy Koepke, director of the Saginaw arts and Enrichment Commission. "I hope it's just a break; they provided so much that was needed, throughout the region."

They discovered some very talented artists, many Koepke never knew, and motivated other groups to reach out and do more with them.

"They always had ongoing events that promoted the arts and put a face with the works," Koepke said. "There was an excitement; they brought young people into the mix.

"Our art show is coming June 15 and we'd love to see those artists come in and take part, even a group of them working together in a booth. We're not going to just forget Sarah and Paolo. We'll keep their ideas going."

The Pedinis were there when the Saginaw Art Museum went through difficult times, deputy director and curator Ryan Kaltenbach remembers, and became an integral part of the art world.

"I think they really sparked the local movement, for lack of a better word, and they certainly heightened awareness of the impact artists can have in our community," Kaltenbach said. "It's not just in art institutions, either. They've moved other entities to reach out and do more.

"I hope they can stay involved in some way, and that's already happening. Paolo's work is on exhibit at the Saginaw Art Museum right now and everywhere you go, you see their art on the walls. It's nice to see."

Avram Golden, a Bay City photographer often featured in the Pedinis' gallery, says they are making the right decision for right now.

"They have a young family and Paolo is building an art career that takes a lot of time to develop," Golden said. "We do have other places to show our work, the Magic Bean, the galleries at Saginaw Valley State University, and now it is in our hands to make the most of it.

"But Sarah and Paolo will be missed. They're a rare breed, being involved and organized. They filled a unique niche, and we've really appreciated the outlet they offered."