“While Coraopolis has
bars, restaurants and
all of the other elements
it needs, it doesn’t have
a unifying force that
lets people know there
is something happening
here. Hopefully, the
gallery will be that
unifying force.”
W
alking into an art gallery can sometimes be intimidating,
but that’s the last thing Cindy Gilberti of Moon Township
wants you to feel when you visit her new gallery. “I want
Gilberti Fine Art Studio & Gallery to be welcoming and a place where
imagination and creativity thrive,” she says.
Gilberti, who has been president of West Hills Art League for more
than six years, works primarily in pastels, oils and watercolor. She’s
always dreamed of owning a gallery, but the dream has been on the
back burner. Two years ago, a call from Ray Kinneman, owner of Emma
Jean’s Attic in Coraopolis, changed that.
Kinneman was helping to organize a community event to showcase
a renovated building in Coraopolis. He invited Gilberti and other West
Hills Art League members to create a pop-up shop where they could
exhibit their art on the walls to highlight the building’s interior. “It
was great because there were no rules,” says Gilberti. “Ray brought in
furniture, rugs and even chandeliers to stage the space and we brought
in all of our art that we wanted. The wall was just covered in art.”
Unfortunately, it rained that day and many of the event’s festivities
were cancelled. “We had very low expectations because of this, but we
were wrong,” notes Gilberti. “It was such a fun event. People came in
and the art was well-received and everyone had a sale.”
When the event was over, Gilberti remembered that her brother
owned a building nearby, so she decided to check it out. “My brother
Tom was using the building for storage and it was full of construction
materials,” she explains. “It had ugly blue walls, but had a beautiful
tin ceiling and I thought it would make a great studio space. When he
asked if I wanted to use it, I said, ‘Yes!’”
Once the construction materials were removed from the building,
Gilberti painted the walls and replaced the front window. “We stood
back and said, “This is really cool,” she says. She also loves her gallery’s
location on Fifth Avenue in Coraopolis. “If you look at Lawrenceville
and some of the other downtown areas in Pittsburgh, they’ve come
back and it seems like the focus is around the arts because it draws
people in,” notes Gilberti. “While Coraopolis has bars, restaurants and
all of the other elements it needs, it doesn’t have a unifying force that
lets people know there is something happening here. Hopefully, the
gallery will be that unifying force.”
The gallery offers art classes for kids to adults taught by professional
art instructors. It also has a working studio for Gilberti and resident
artist Dianne Bauman, who paint there daily. The gallery features
artwork from Gilberti as well as other emerging and established artists.
“I wanted to exhibit my art but also have an area dedicated to people
who have been my mentors and instructors,” explains Gilberti. Some
of those include Susan Harrison-Tustain, Frank Webb, Tom McNickle,
Sterling Edwards, Christie Swann, Jeannie McGuire, Elizabeth Myers
Castonguay and more. Gilberti says she would love to feature their
work in her gallery.
“Artists such as Tom McNickle and Elizabeth Myers Castonguay
live in the region,” she notes. “Tom is a painter who teaches and
exhibits his work all over the United States and has a studio in Volant
in Lawrence County. Elizabeth is a figure drawing and painting artist
and exhibits her work in galleries in New York and has a studio on
Pittsburgh’s South Side. They are here. We just have to bring them out
of the woodwork.”
Gilberti feels it’s important to showcase local talent. “As president
of West Hills Art League, I’ve met so many excellent artists,” she
says. “There are people who come in the door and don’t consider
themselves artists, and then you see some of their art and it’s
amazing—far and above what you see in some of the expensive
galleries around Pittsburgh.”
One of those artists is Storma French, an original member of the
league who has taught art locally for more than 41 years. “Cindy
Gilberti was one of my students and is extremely creative—one of the
best students I’ve had,” says French. “I’m sure she will be successful
because she’s willing to go all-out as the president of West Hills Art
League. Her gallery is something we really need in the area.”
For Gilberti, it’s all about inspiring people. “Introducing people to
different types of art motivates them to ask questions such as, ‘Do I
enjoy this style of painting?’ or ‘Do I like water colors, or oils?’ ‘Would
I enjoy learning more about paintings, or taking an art class?’ It’s
something for us to strive for.”
For more information on available classes and exhibitions, visit
gilbertifineart.com. n
Moon Township | Summer 2017 | icmags.com 19