Stoughton Art Center Weathers the Years

By Amanda Breen
abreen@student.stonehill.edu
STOUGHTON _ They stopped making raincoats at the one story building years ago but that hasn’t stopped customers from stopping by — even though it’s now an art center.
Elaine Felos Ostrander, owner and artist at the Felos Memorial Art Center and FMAC Gallery, open now for more than 10 years, said people still wander into the 720 Park St. building looking for the raincoats her father, Anthony Felos, made there for 50 years.
“People walk in, look around and ask ‘Where are the raincoats’” Ostrander said, laughing.
One day, an elderly man walked into the art center, a raincoat in his hands.
He had bought it years ago, before the Twin-Kee raincoat factory closed, and it had lost a button. He wanted to have it fixed.
Ostrander checked the storage area and sewed it back on for him.
This sense of community is what inspired Ostrander to open the Art Center after years of involvement in the local art community.
In the 1970’s, when Ostrander established the Stoughton Art Association, she knew local artists were always looking for more studio space.
That’s when the idea for the FMAC was born.
After the raincoat business was officially closed in 1997, the Felos Memorial Art Center and Gallery opened to great success.
“People were literally camping out here to mark off their spaces,” Ostrander said of the Art Center when it first opened.
Rooms that once held steam presses and sewing machines that were used to make raincoats are now studios to more than 20 artists.
Now everything from painting to weaving can be found at the art center, including a recording studio.
“It’s a good atmosphere,” Janet Landry-Borden, a painter with a studio at the art center said. “Everyone looks out for each other and it’s very conducive to creativity.”
Each artist has a separate studio which can be closed off for privacy or left with the door open to encourage visitors.
“People are very welcoming and happy to show you around,” Landry-Borden said.
Artists have access to the building 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so they can work anytime they want.
On any given day, the studios could either be filled or just a few people can be found working.Around lunchtime, many of the artists meet and discuss their work to get feedback, advice or inspiration.
“There is the privacy when you want it and the community when you want it,” Beverly Rippel, who has her studio at the Felos Memorial Art Center said. “It’s kind of a family up here now.”
Rippel, of Easton also teaches painting classes at the Art Center. Students in her classes range in age from high school to 91. Many of the high school students are working to build up their portfolios to apply to art schools.
“I think everyone can do something creative. Sometimes you just have to push yourself a little,” Rippel said.
Rosemonde Reilly-Spinelli, who teaches weaving, was one of the first to open a studio at the FMAC .
“I’ve always enjoyed weaving,” Reilly-Spinelli said. “It was my release.”
Erin Crowley, who has a painting studio at the art center, l remembers the building as a raincoat factory and enjoys the new atmosphere of caring artists..
The Felos Memorial Art Center offers a wide range of classes during the day and evenings which appeal to everyone.
“People will realize that there is art in their own backyard,” Landry-Borden said.
Taking a class at the art center can lead to new opportunities and new friendships too.
“It’s always good to meet people with the same interests. You never know what will evolve,” Crowley said.