Bella Art and Frame, a longtime staple of the Tri-Lakes arts and business community, is under new ownership as Micaela Cimino and her husband, Joseph Jesse, have recently taken the helm.

The couple, who recently relocated from Brooklyn, New York, bring a blend of fine arts and craftsmanship to the gallery, along with a vision to expand its reach while preserving its reputation for high-quality art and framing.

For Cimino, taking over Bella Art and Frame is a homecoming of sorts. Having grown up in Monument, where her parents still reside, she has remained connected to the community over the years. As a student at Lewis-Palmer High School, she was awarded an art scholarship from the Palmer Lake Art Group (PLAG), a program which has provided more than $80,000 in funding to School District 38 students pursuing careers in the arts.

The new Bella owner went on to study painting and printmaking at the Pratt Institute in New York and spent the past 22 years immersed in the city’s art scene. She is hoping to capture events similar to the Thursday opening nights she’s experienced in Chelsea.

“Some aspects of the NY art scene I’d like to bring to the store is really the excitement around the Gallery Scene in New York,” Cimino said. “I’d love to continue to have an ‘opening’ once a month where we change out the feature wall in the South Gallery and showcase an artist’s work

“I’d love that wall to be always rotating to celebrate some of the local favorites but also showcase new talent in the area.”

Cimino also aspires to have the featured artist present for opening nights to speak about their inspirations and what motivates their work, giving him or her a chance to connect with the community and interact with it.

Jesse has built a career in scenic carpentry, working for more than two decades on set construction for productions such as The Today Show and Saturday Night Live. He has also taught set carpentry workshops in Steamboat Springs, further expanding his expertise in craftsmanship and design.

The opportunity to own the gallery arose last October when Cimino received a call from Bonnie Sands, a former teacher and active member of the Palmer Lake arts community. Sands informed her Bella Art and Frame was for sale and encouraged her to consider the opportunity.

“My initial thought was this was a potential Godsend,” Cimino said. “We had our daughter last year and the urgency to relocate became clearer with each passing moment as we quickly outgrew our two-bedroom Brooklyn walk-up apartment. … This path is a perfect fit for my family, and we are thrilled to be able to raise our daughter in the same community I came up in. It was that much sweeter that the precious relationships with my teachers was the reason we even heard about this.”

After Cimino’s parents visited the gallery and met with longtime owner Maggie Williamson, they urged the couple to consider the purchase, recognizing how their combined backgrounds in fine arts and carpentry would be a strong fit for the business.

Three months later, the couple packed up their belongings, along with their one-year-old daughter and pets, and made the move to Colorado. They arrived Jan. 22 and immediately began training with Williamson and gallery assistant Elizabeth Morris. A few days later, after closing the sale with former owner Ethan Alstrom, Cimino and Jesse were officially running the gallery on their own.

The couple is presently working to enhance Bella Art and Frame’s digital presence. They are updating the gallery’s website to include online sales and plan to expand its reach through social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. The purpose is to reach a broader market and appeal to new talents who may wish to showcase their work, Cimino said.

“It’s a free way to share the artist’s work and bios,” she said. “It is also a great way to spread the word on any workshops or art classes we’d like to put on.

“It’s all about generating some excitement and buzz around the art scene of the Tri-Lakes area and celebrating the talent this community has to offer.”

Since Cimino and Jesse moved to Monument and took over the store, local artists, Palmer Lake Art Group members and longtime customers have expressed excitement about Bella’s future, Pat Bockelman of the PLAG said. During a recent meet-and-greet event, Cimino and Jesse received numerous offers from local artists eager to collaborate on upcoming projects and events.

Looking ahead, they plan to maintain the gallery’s commitment to high-quality framing and exhibitions while introducing new ideas. Cimino and Jesse have several plans to expand Bella Art and Frame’s offerings while maintaining its reputation for high-quality exhibitions. They plan to introduce workshops in drawing, painting and crafts, providing hands-on opportunities for community engagement.

The gallery will also host First Friday events to showcase new work, along with a monthly artist feature highlighting both established and emerging talent. In addition to traditional paintings and prints, they hope to incorporate new art forms, such as glassblowing, ceramics and jewelry.

To accommodate these changes, they are also working on expanding the gallery’s display space to allow for more exhibits and greater artist representation.

Discovering and promoting new talent is a key priority for the couple. While Bella will continue to feature established artists and works from well-known art groups, Cimino wants to create opportunities for up-and-coming artists. She encourages young and emerging creators to visit the gallery and explore the possibility of showcasing their work.

“We all start somewhere and showcasing fresh perspectives and new talent is a really exciting and rewarding opportunity for a gallery or curator,” Cimino said.

Artists are historians, capturing their unique perspectives and reactions to the world through their work, and Cimino loves that the gallery can showcase diverse voices, each with its own story and purpose, she said.

For Cimino, returning to Monument as a gallery owner holds deep personal significance. She credits the Palmer Lake Art Group’s scholarship with boosting her confidence early in her artistic journey.

“Winning a PLAG scholarship was a real vote of confidence for me,” she said. “I was excited about applying to art schools but wasn’t sure if my work would be well received. That scholarship gave me a huge boost to go for it. It was the first time my work was on display, and I was incredibly proud to be showcased in the community I grew up in.”