SAXONBURG — Between the earned income tax office and a hair salon, a small road leads to the new Saxonburg Area Artists Cooperative.

Two sets of yellow-painted French doors in the front of the rustic building open onto a multilevel gallery.

Media installed include pottery, jewelry of both glass beads and metalwork, paintings of all kinds, sculpture, fiber arts, drawings, stained glass, photography and digital arts.

The venture has been open since November but has grown since its rush to be available for the town's light up Nov. 27. Now it has planned an open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday as its grand opening.

"When you walk through the door, everything is individual; there is nothing like these things anywhere else," said sculptor Sam Andrew of Tarentum, a member of the cooperative, one of its two directors and an ardent promoter. His co-director is David Henschel of Cabot.

The member-owned establishment started with six artists back in November but now has nearly a full complement of 15 artists, though one — a print maker — is still pending.

Many different kinds of media are represented in the cooperative because membership doesn't allow for members who produce the same types of work. Membership does currently include two sculptors, but one creates large works and the other small; and two jewelry makers but one works in her own handmade glass beads and the other in metalwork, Andrew said.

"There are also two potters, but their styles are very different so it's OK," he said.

Since membership is full, a waiting list has developed, so when one artist who practices a certain medium "gets tired" of displaying, another of that same type of work can come in, Andrew said.

The number one selling artwork so far is fiber art, and photography is second, he said.

"Pottery is always popular and jewelry is popular," he noted. In the last six months, all the artists have sold a piece of their work, he said, pleased.

The initial membership fee is $75 plus $50 per month in dues. "We ask for a three month commitment so that from a business standpoint we know our cash flow," Andrew said.

The building's owners, John and Kathy Allen of Armstrong Farms, let the artists have the space rent-free at first. Now the co-op is able to pay rent, but the owners are still helping with utilities. "They've been just phenomenal, just great supporters of the arts," Andrew said.

The commission co-op artists' pay on the sale of a piece is 15 percent. Other places can charge 40 or 50 percent, said Andrew. Consequently, co-op artists usually charge lower prices for their work, he said. For example, one matted and framed photo on display now is $35.

One of the co-op's potters is Christy Culp who teaches art in the Deer Lakes School District.

"It's a nice venue to display our work," said Culp of Kittanning. "It's someplace nice to put it, other than our house!"

The day jobs of co-op members vary, though "we seem to have a lot of art teachers ..." said Andrew, who taught art and psychology himself for 38 years before retiring. He also has his own equestrian art business and is currently on staff at the Oakbridge Academy of Arts.

Marilyn Martin of Saxonburg is retired from her job as a nurse, so she has more time to create her glass beads, called lampwork, and jewelry. "I've been doing art most of my life," Martin said.

She said she started out stringing beads but then got in deeper. "There's something soothing about sitting in front of a torch with glass rods and melting the glass around metal rods until I get it shaped how I want it or how it wants to be shaped," she said.

Newest member Michael Bestwick of Fenelton works part-time as a motorcycle mechanic. The rest of the time he practices his impressionist artwork, whether in watercolor, pastel or pen-and-ink.

"We want to enrich the community and the general public by exposing them to as many different forms of art as possible," said Andrew, summing up the co-op's vision statement.

The broader mission statement, he said, calls for active educational outreach programs like "Take Out Art" which displays small collections as it did in March at Concordia Haven apartments in Cabot. Lectures and presentations are available to schools and non-profits groups.

The most recent school visit involved a live metal sculpture demonstration for sixth grade art classes at West Hills Intermediate School in the Armstrong School District. "All of our 'Take Out Art' is at no cost to the recipient," Andrew said.

Another part of the cooperative's mission is to exhibit the work of visiting artists. To that end, a couple dozen pieces of underwater photography by Larry Ferlan of Seattle will be displayed through June 15. An opening reception with the artist in attendance is planned for 6 to 9 p.m. Friday.

The cooperative has also started a scholarship for a high school student pursuing a career in the arts. This year it will be awarded to a Knoch High School senior, but in future years it will be available to a student in any area where a co-op members lives, Andrew said.

"We're having a ball," Andrew said. "It's 1,000 percent more than I ever thought it would be."

"We're just trying to make a big footprint in a small town," he said.

"We're trying to make an artful footprint," Culp added.

Summer hours for the gallery will start after Memorial Day and will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sundays.

The parking area is small and will be reduced on Saturday by a tent, but Main Street has plenty of parking on both sides of the street.

<B>WHO: </B>Saxonburg Area Artists Cooperative<B>WHAT: </B>Grand Opening<B>WHEN: 1</B>0 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday<B>WHERE: </B>215 Main St. rear, Saxonburg<B>ADMISSION: </B>Free<B>INFORMATION: </B>412-260-5779 or 412-849-4648