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Photographs by David Warg are on display at Manny’s in New Paltz throughout the month of June.
Manny’s Art Supplies on Main Street in New Paltz is one of those quirky, one-of-a-kind businesses that only happen when the same family has been in charge for more than 50 years. The corporate art supply stores may be able to offer more by way of quantity, but Manny’s is that place in the neighborhood where you run in to pick up something basic, like a drawing pencil, and end up walking out half an hour later because you got engrossed in perusing the box of small pieces of handmade papers there, inspired to create something completely different than what you originally planned. And really, how many businesses have a founder like Manny Lipton who can inspire a town-wide celebration like last summer’s third “Mannyfest?”
Lipton’s daughter, Marilyn Golgoski, is the store’s proprietor these days. She says that her daughter, Rebecca Golgoski, who acts as her informal “marketing manager,” is the brains behind the recent decision to start a blog featuring an “Artist of the Week” on the website. Now, a related endeavor to support local artists called “Window Works” has been launched, in which two of the large storefront windows at Manny’s will showcase the work of a local artist who doesn’t already have representation through a gallery.
“We’re kind of seeing it like a community bulletin board,” says Marilyn. “It’s to highlight local artists, and different types of artists; not just painters, but people who do other things. It’s an opportunity for those that don’t normally have a platform.” The first exhibit in May was of artwork by the students of Lisa Chason, who operates New Paltz Art Studio. “Children don’t really have that opportunity to display their work,” Marilyn says. “They loved doing this and it gave people the chance to see it.”
Anybody is welcome to apply to have their work in the windows. “All they have to do is come in and talk to me,” she says. “It’s up to them how they’ll present their work. We won’t be involved with sales; if they make a sale from it, that’s wonderful, but we don’t want anything to do with it.” Each exhibitor will have contact information available should a viewer wish to contact the artist directly. The shows will stay up for three weeks with one week off in between.
The “Window Works” artist for June will be local photographer David Warg. Readers of New Paltz Times who view his work in Manny’s windows will recognize several of his photographs from the newspaper, where his evocative photos have accompanied several articles this year. One of those photos in particular seems to have struck a chord with many people: the photograph featured in the Feb. 20 edition showing a snowy owl in Gardiner during a snowstorm.
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