When New Town Art Gallery opened, the seven founding artists thought the project might last a few months.
Four years later, the collaborative artist-owned business is celebrating its anniversary while giving back to a family in need. Its “A Lucky Night in the Orient” event on Friday will raise funds for a local family whose child has leukemia.
Looking back to the gallery’s inception, co-founder Sue Danehy is amazed it made it this far.
“We had to put in time, money, talent and hard work – lots of hard work,” she said of the early months of the undertaking.
The gallery – which fills a corner spot on Main Street in New Town with paintings, sculptures, jewelry and other original creations – survived tough economic times to offer local artists a place to work and show together. Each of the co-owners brings a different artistic perspective to the gallery and manages a separate piece of the business.
For Danehy, the space provides the chance to show a body of work. Unlike other operations in town, New Town Art Gallery offers her more than one or two paintings on a wall, lacking the context of a career in art.
“And no one is telling each one of us what to hang,” Danehy said. “It’s our own judgment what to hang. That’s an important thing for an artist to feel free.”
She also enjoys having the chance to collaborate with other creative minds, like co-founder Kay Krapfl.
Krapfl finds the regular changing out of displayed art to be refreshing, both for creators and the public. When the owning group dropped from seven to four, New Town Art Gallery started showing a few guest artists, which change about every three months.
“People like to see new work all the time, and we can’t constantly have load of new work if we have to be involved with the business itself,” Danehy said.
The collaboration has stretched into the community as well. New Town Art Gallery regularly holds events when they change out the art, and the gallery hosts events for other organizations, from preview performances to Christmas parties.
“A lot of it will be for a charity. … We try to keep it good for the community,” Krapfl said.
They have also hosted Opera in Williamsburg and other performing groups in a system of mutual art support. The groups have the chance to play for an audience and sell tickets for upcoming programs, while the gallery builds its reputation and connection to the community.
Friday’s fundraiser was formulated through co-owner Anne Kushnick, who knew the Wesolowski family through church. Their 11-month-old son Oliver was diagnosed with leukemia in March.
All money raised at the event – where guests can enter to win original art using tickets, $10 for a pack of 12 – will go to the Oliver Wesolowski Leukemia Fund. With the acronym OWL, the birds became a theme for the event, and two artists have donated owl paintings as prizes.
There will be six to eight pieces total, as well as food, wine and beverages.
For more information, visit the New Town Art Gallery website or call 229-5140.
