It’s been about four years since Saugerties has had an art gallery on either Main or Partition streets. But with the grand opening of the Marleau Galley at 99 Partition Street on Saturday, April 28, art is back.
“This is great. It’s bringing art to the village,” said village mayor Bill Murphy as he congratulated fellow Saugerties High School grad and good friend Kevin Hinchey, who co-owns the gallery with local artist Richard Gamache.
And yes, Hinchey is one of those Hincheys; a cousin to long-time congressman and former Saugerties resident U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey.
“A gallery like this adds another dimension to our village and shows its diverse nature,” Murphy added.
Kevin Hinchey, a local entrepreneur, and class of 1991 graduate of Saugerties High School, said he had purchased a painting from Gamache and the two got to talking.
“I asked him what he thought of bringing an art gallery to the village,” Hinchey said. “And [he] told me that it had always been a dream of his to have a gallery where he could show his work.”
The painting was a “presidential type” portrait of Maurice, Hinchey said, “and the quality of work was so fantastic.”
“So we began to look at buildings, and this space on Partition St. was perfect,” Hinchey said. “Partition St. has the most foot traffic, and this is such a great location.”
Owning an art gallery is something a little out-of-the-ordinary for Hinchey, who also owns the mold remediation company, H&H Environmental Co., along with Comfort Tech Heating & Cooling. He also sponsors Joey Gambino, a top-ranked MMA fighter, as well as local rapper Phil Puma.
“I’m diversifying my business,” said the father of two. His son, Logan Hinchey, is 13, and daughter, Keiran Hinchey, is four.
“Opening the art gallery here in my hometown of Saugerties was such an obvious choice,” Hinchey explained. “You look at Hurley, they have no art gallery, Woodstock one or two, and Hudson a number of them, so Saugerties right in the middle and with the number of people that come here was a logical choice.”
Marleau is the middle name of co-owner Richard Gamache. In addition to his work, the gallery will also feature the work of noted Woodstock artist Stephen Kerner, whose work hangs in the Smithsonian, Hinchey said.
“We want to feature local artists,” Hinchey said. “There are just so many good ones living in the area.”
“We also want to focus on the Hudson River Valley,” he added.
Richard Gamache said he has never been shown in a gallery, so it will be nice to have his own where he can feature his work. “Since I have not been accepted into a gallery, I decided to take another route,” he says of his partnership with Hinchey.
The two described the types of work that will be featured at the new gallery as being for both those who are looking to purchase “high-end” pieces as well as for those looking to purchase more reasonably priced work.
And while the gallery is just opening this weekend, “we can already feel the energy from the local community,” Hinchey said.
Shop owners have been stopping by to welcome the pair to Partition St. “People are coming in and showing their support,” Richard Gamache said.
At this weekend’s grand opening, Brendan Amodio from Mirabella’s will be supplying the food, and the Partition Street Wine Shop will take care of the spirits. Rae Stang of Lucky Chocolates has said she might fix up something yummy for the grand opening as well.
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