Womyn's Intuition
By Jill Duff-Hoppes
Susanne Sabbatino-Pellicane fervently believes in championing the work of female artists, and she’s doing it locally in a very unique venue. The real-estate entrepreneur owns a professional office building in downtown Maitland, which she has turned into a functional – if unconventional – place to exhibit art.
The three-story office building, known as the Sawmill Center, boasts more than 30,000 square feet of space and is home to several business tenants. In recent years – thanks to her foundation, A Few Good Womyn, LLC – Susanne has transformed the interior from a nondescript work setting to an environment brimming with eye-catching, high-caliber art.
Currently, more than 80 colorful paintings by Jewish artist Helen Kagan fill most of the available wall space in the lobby and hallways of the building, located at 711 North Orlando Avenue (U.S. 17-92) near the Maitland SunRail station.
“Originally, the building was devoid of any kind of artwork or life – it was three floors and corridors of empty white space,” says Susanne, who has changed all that by bringing in a steady stream of solo and group art shows, complete with live music and meet-the-artist receptions.
In 2017, Susanne presented the Sawmill Center’s first all-female exhibit, titled La Femme, which was curated by her friend Tommy Cannalonga. The show, which celebrated a grown-up version of girl power, featured work by 10 artists who are well-known in Central Florida and beyond. Another top-notch, all-female exhibit, curated by artist Bonnie Sprung, featured the artwork of eight local women in 2018.
“I care about giving women a place to show their artwork,” says the 53-year-old Susanne, an art collector and an artist herself. “They need it, they deserve it, and they are craving it. We need
to stick together to get recognition and placement in venues where the work will be seen, my own art included.”
Helen, who began painting professionally in 2005, says she appreciates being offered a one-woman show at Susanne’s building.
“I think the idea of utilizing the Sawmill Center as a place for exhibitions is great,” says Helen. “It is a very nice, upscale building with ample wall space, where at least several artists can be displayed simultaneously. Susanne’s mission to exhibit the works of female artists is wonderful and honorable. It is very important for an artist to have a voice, to be able to express it, and to have a nice place to show their art.”
After Helen’s show ends, Susanne will collaborate with another group of talented female artists, just in time for Women’s History Month in March 2021. The details are still being worked out, but Susanne’s goal is to host concurrent shows in Maitland, Brooklyn, and Rome – the three cities where Susanne splits her time – celebrating artistic sisterhood on a national and international level.
“My love has always been the arts,” says Susanne, who is currently living in Rome. “Art is essential. It feeds and nourishes the soul in so many ways.”
A native New Yorker, Susanne grew up in the Brooklyn and Queens areas. She earned a bachelor’s degree in visual art from Drew University in New Jersey and a master’s degree in education from Long Island University’s CW Post campus. She taught art in New York public schools for several years, working with at-risk students. And during graduate school, she took ballroom dance lessons and eventually became an instructor for beginning students.
In 2002, Susanne moved to The Sunshine State with her husband and their three sons. The family lived in several cities in Florida, including Maitland, before moving to Italy in 2010. After her husband’s death, Susanne and her sons returned to Central Florida, and she took over the family’s real-estate development business, which has holdings in Maitland, Brooklyn, and Gulfport, Florida.
Her eldest son, 25-year-old Vincent, manages the family’s real-estate portfolio with Susanne. Jarrett, 22, is a competitive International Latin Ballroom dancer and instructor, and Robie, 18, is a rising senior at Winter Park High School.
In February, Susanne decided to return to Italy to research her ancestry after learning that she is Jewish on her father’s side of the family. Not long after she arrived, the coronavirus pandemic shut everything down. Still, Susanne has been making good use of the time, going through genealogical records, writing her memoirs, and reaching out to other artists.
“I’ve had my challenges,” Susanne says, who found herself in one of the early epicenters of the COVID-19 outbreak. “It has been tough, but it’s also been a tremendous period of growth.”
Susanne has also been exploring and photographing the historic Jewish district near her apartment in Rome. Although she hasn’t exhibited her own art in many years, Susanne intends to do so for the all-female show she’s planning for March. To that end, she is working on a mixed-media series that will likely combine photography with painting.
“As women, we all have to work together and help one another,” says Susanne, who enjoys using her building to shine a spotlight on creativity. “The three floors of the Sawmill Center can support a lot of artwork. I’m hoping I can make a little bit of a difference in how female artists are represented and promoted. That’s my unending quest.”