How Sabrina Gribneau-Nedell transformed a warehouse into an artistic oasis
By Jamie Organski
As she cleaned up materials at the ArtHouse at the WareHouse that were part of a rained-out event, Sabrina Gribneau-Nedell thanked a New Jersey woman for coming, sliding her a sticker at the checkout.
“Sometimes life doesn’t work out the way you planned, and that’s okay,” said Gribneau-Nedell a multi-media artist who is also owner of the new art space in Inlet.
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After seeing the popularity around hobby horses, Gribneau-Nedell put together a Hobby Horse Derby of her own, which took place at the end of June.
“My mother is from Germany and they take hobby horsing very seriously; it is a sport to them,” she said. “The idea began as a joke, which tends to be how things happen here.”
For the event, Gribneau-Nedell set up a makeshift outdoor track so people could race horses they purchased from artist Penny Stoffle or made themselves using provided materials. Horses made from pool noodles were also available for use.
An artistic path
A potter and illustrator, Gribneau-Nedell dabbles in many mediums, is part of the Inlet Area Business Association, president of the Syracuse Ceramics Guild, and donates items to the Inlet Historical Society and Inlet-area events.
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Gribneau-Nedell’s parents, Bruce and Crista, bought the Sixth Lake property where the warehouse now sits in 1970, the year Gribneau-Nedell was born. Running Clayton’s Motel, they spent most of the year in Inlet, and winters in California until moving to Inlet permanently in 1978.
Gribnea-Nedell attended the now-closed Inlet Common School and graduated from the Town of Webb School in 1988. She attended the now-closed Cazenovia College for Illustration, graduating in 1990, going on to work for the now-defunct Adirondack Echo newspaper in Old Forge before going on to launch her pottery business, ADK Girl, in the early 2000s.
The birth and growth of the ArtHouse
The warehouse contained her father’s carpet business, and when he passed away in 2020, Gribneau-Nedell made good on her promise to keep the building viable. She opened the ArtHouse at the WareHouse in the summer of 2021.
The ArtHouse at the WareHouse began with a small group of 12 artists and has grown to 42; an eclectic group that resides in the Adirondack Park and across Central NY. All items are handcrafted, and the ArtHouse is run similar to a co-op, with Gribneau-Nedell and fellow artists abiding by her father’s philosophy: “Do what you can when you can do it.”
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Gribneau-Nedell splits time between Inlet and her home on Oneida Lake which she shares with her husband, Thomas Nedell. The couple have two adult children, Maddie, 27, and Carson, 25.
While manning the ArtHouse, Gribneau-Nedell lives on the property with a few other artists, dubbing the humble abode as “a girl’s camp.” Gribneau-Nedell enjoys reading, kayaking, and spending time with her pups.
“I love the water first thing in the morning,” Gribneau-Nedell said. “Sixth Lake is my favorite. I also love fall in the middle of the week when no one is around. The trees speak. This area is magic. I’ve been to a lot of places in the world and this is the one I want to call home. It soothes my soul like no other place has.”
The ArtHouse at the WareHouse is located at 351 State Route 28, Inlet. It is open 7 days a week in the summer from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday-Thursday, and from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The ArtHouse will be open weekends into December, close for winter, and open on the weekends come spring.
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I love the Art House at the wearhouse! I have both exhibited there and shopped there. You can always find something new and creative for yourself or as a gift. Sabrina is an asset to the community and an example of the creative spirit in the Adirondacks.