Artists rally to save gallery

NORWAY —After years of efforts, a project to save a former one-room schoolhouse on Norway's Main Street is finally gaining traction.

The Lajos Matolcsy Arts Center was purchased from the town of Norway in 1968, after a school consolidation effort left the building vacant.

For the past 43 years, the building has housed the Western Maine Art Group (WMAG), an organization that is widely recognized as the epicenter of the local art scene.

But while the group's 50 members have over the decades pursued their artistic efforts, which range from galleries and exhibitions to lectures and classes, the building has fallen into greater and greater disrepair.

In 2006, says WMAG President Irina Kahn, the second floor of the building had to be closed to classes and casual visitors.

"There's holes in the floor that you can see through," she said. "Right now we're tiptoeing around [the edges] ... . We don't go to the middle."

The sagging second floor is just one problem. Add to that a crumbling chimney, a bad roof, and unstable walls, and it quickly becomes apparent that the entire historic structure is in danger.

"It would crumble," says Kahn. "It's just a matter of time."

Today, Kahn says that the building needs $200,000 in renovations in order to be a functional, stable environment for the work that the WMAG does.

While that figure might seem like an impossible goal for a group of starving artists, Kahn says that the long-term efforts of the board have finally yielded a light at the end of the tunnel.

"Every year we keep trying," said Kahn. "This is our best year because we've got an architect committed. Once we have that, we can move forward and actually apply for these grants."

The grants in question are Community Development Building Grants, big chunks of federal funding that have saved many a historic structure over the years.

Winning a CDBG grant is not easy. Just to qualify for consideration, a $10,000 feasibility study must be completed with lots of input from a trained architect. In addition, tens of thousands of dollars of matching funds have to be raised locally.

But Kahn says that this year, the organization's ducks are in a row.

The group has bought and paid for the feasibility study. WMAG members have another $10,000 in hand. If they can raise just $15,000 more, they may be able to trigger a whopping $150,000 historical preservation grant.

Kahn says that the group is relying on the community to help preserve the building by helping to raise the $15,000.

"We're having another charity auction on September 11 during Community Day at the Oxford County Fair," she said.

Those who donate $25 or more to the cause receive a reproduction of a Ron Hamilton painting that depicts the building.

Donations can be made payable to WMAG at P.O. Box 122, Norway, or on the group's website, www.thewmag.org.

Photo:

The Lajos Matolcsy Arts Center

Photo: Matt Hongoltz-Hetling

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Photo: Matt Hongoltz-Hetling

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