New gallery replacing a Shelter Island landmark with art and fun: MAJU on Bridge Street welcomes the community
Children and adults who have studied ceramics with Island artist Jude Amsel will now find her —potter’s wheel and all — in a new gallery on Bridge Street.
“MAJU,” a venue with room for the classes in the rear of the space, whose white walls are now covered with striking pieces of art, will open its doors with a reception on Saturday, May 24.
The shop has a storied history, serving the Island as Jack’s Marine for decades, until sold in 2023 to the Soloviev Group by the family of its founder, Jack Calabro. Last fall the store was cleared out, raising questions of whether it would return in the spring. When Marie Eiffel, owner of the market and a shop on the street, learned that the shop would be empty, she suggested to Ms. Amsel that she move into the space. With The Dory long vacant on Bridge Street, Ms. Eiffel said she was very concerned about another empty store on the block.
Ms. Amsel and Ms. Eiffel knew each other well; Ms. Amsel had curated art shows at Ms. Eiffel’s restaurant, Chez Marie. They decided on a collaboration to bring the space to life, naming the gallery MAJU with letters from both names.
Ms. Amsel was aware that Islanders were expressing dismay that Jack’s Marine was being replaced. “I was sad, too,” said. “My grandchildren would make a bee-line for the toy section at Jack’s when they came to visit.”
But the opening at Jack’s coincided with a message Ms. Amsel received from Nanette Lawrenson, executive director of the Shelter Island History Museum, where Ms. Amsel has taught ceramics classes for years.
“She said the barn had to be brought up to code, so I couldn’t use it this summer,” Ms. Amsel said. “I had to find space for my 60 students.”
As word of the plans to replace Jack’s with the gallery filtered through the community, there were some negative reactions. But one day, Ms. Amsel encountered a woman who said, upon learning that she was moving into the space, “It’s you? Oh, now I’m not worried.”
Ms. Amsel is hoping for similar reactions from the many Islanders who’ve taken her classes over the years, as well as from new patrons who will visit MAJU. The doors will open on Saturday, May 24, for the welcome reception from 3 to 6 p.m.
Ms. Amsel has had an extensive career as an artist, curator and educator. Her work is on display at the Fire Museum in New York City, where she was commissioned to create a permanent tribute to the 343 firefighters who lost their lives at the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001.
She started a nonprofit 35 years ago, with an arts center in Great Neck and she’s had a gallery on the East End, as well as in Florida. “Art got me through good and bad times,” she said. “I’ve kept thank-you letters from former students and artists who I’ve mentored.”
She treated the empty space on Bridge Street like a blank canvas, filling the walls with the work of famous artists like deKooning and Shepherd Fairey, as well as noted Island artists like her partner, Barry Stern, and Roz Dimon.
“A while back,” Ms. Amsel recalled, my daughter laughed and said to me, ‘I thought you were retiring. But you keep re-inventing yourself.’ I told her she was right. That’s the secret to staying young and vibrant.”
While art lovers will find much at MAJU to enjoy and perhaps acquire, children will also find stuffed animals and colorful books, as well as small ceramics to paint. The shelves are stocked with Island-themed fashions and accessories. Ms Eiffel has supplied some of those from her store; she also plans to lead an Ayurvedic movement class in the mornings at the gallery.
And the gallery will close on Tuesdays to allow time for the ceramics classes. Ms. Amsel encourages anyone who wants to give it a try not to be intimidated by the creative process.
“The self-esteem the practice provides always comes before the art,” she said. “At the beginning of a class, I saw one child who seemed anxious, and overheard another student tell her, ‘Don’t worry, you can’t make a mistake in Jude’s class.’”
