Marti’s on Main art gallery in Albion becomes non-profit

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Kim Martillotta Muscarella, owner of Marti’s on Main, is shown inside the art gallery during an art show last month. She is pictured with a split leaf philodendron which she has had for 40 years.

Martillotta Muscarella has been organizing and hosting art shows the past 15 years. She announced that Marti’s has just been approved by the IRS an official non-profit organization.

She decided to have Marti’s be a non-profit to be in a better position to apply for grants to help with the building’s upkeep and for the programming at the site. Any donations will be tax deductible.

There is currently a three-member board for Marti’s with her son Jeremiah Knight as the president, her husband Neal Muscarella as vice president and Martillotta Muscarella as the treasurer.

Marti’s since 2021 has been at the former Cornell Cooperative Extension in Albion. Martillotta Muscarella and her family turned the building at 20 South Main St. into an art showcase.

The Muscarellas transformed the interior of the building into an art studio and gallery, painting the rooms in vibrant colors. Muscarella displays artwork throughout the building, including the hallways, staircase, even the bathrooms.

Martillotta Muscarella said the building needs more work, especially the windows. She is hopeful the non-profit status will secure funding through grants or other contributions.

Before it was Marti’s, the former Extension building was most recently used an outreach center for the Episcopal Church in Albion. The building was originally a house built in the 1830s.

Muscarella watched the site decline for many years, with little activity inside the doors of one of the prominent buildings in the historic Courthouse Square.

For about a decade she ran the Marti’s on Main art gallery and studio at her home at 229 South Main St. But that site, which was half of her house, was cramped to display art and accommodate groups of people.

Since 2021, Marti’s has hosted several art shows and classes a year, as well as two concerts.

The next class will be on Nov. 30 and is a chance to create one-of-a-kind ornaments with Fired Up Ready to Paint Ceramics. There will be sessions at noon and 2 p.m. Call or text 585-590-9211 or message Fired Up Ready to Paint Ceramics on Facebook for more information.

Martillotta Muscarella gives tours of the art gallery by appointment. She can be reached at (585) 589-6715 for more information.