MORAVIA - For 40 years, the Anthony Gallery in Moravia has not only exhibited local arts and crafts, it has encouraged visitors to take the work home with them.
Jill Connor / The CitizenSandra Jennings, a visitor from Glen Ellyn, Ill., takes a look at some hand-painted glasses and a soap swan at The Anthony Gallery in Moravia Tuesday. The gallery, which is completely manned by volunteers, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this month.
The volunteer-run space in the heart of the town houses items ranging from wooden jigsaw puzzles and homemade maple syrup to pillows and history books. The unifying theme is locality. Among the 50 vendors who may supply their work for sale at the gallery in a given year, not one resides further from Moravia than Skaneateles, Ithaca or Berkshire.
“It's an outlet for local crafters and artisans and a way to sell their merchandise,” said volunteer Viola Shutts. “There's not a lot of other gift shops here.”
Like many volunteers, Shutts is also one of the gallery's contributing artists. She first sold her pot-holders and Christmas ornaments through the gallery in 1989 and started offering her time there two years later.
Other contributors are also consumers. Roger Phillips, who operates Glenview Photography and Design down Main Street in Moravia, supplies several of his photos for sale in the gallery and recently stopped in to purchase a few books.
“It's a good showcase for people to see what we have in Moravia,” he said. “And from the village's point of view, any business on Main Street is good.”
The creators provide the work they craft to the gallery and set their own prices. The gallery then adds a slight commission to cover building maintenance and other small expenses like packaging materials.
No one is paid for their part in operating the gallery. Twelve volunteers currently commit one or two days a week to overseeing the shop.
“I like the people,” Shutts said. “You never know who you're going to run into.”
Though it focuses on local work, the gallery casts a wider net for patronage. Many customers come from summer houses on Owasco Lake or the homes of family whom they're visiting.
Among the recent out-of-town visitors to the Anthony Gallery was Sandy Jennings of Glen Ellyn, Ill., whose father-in-law lives in Union Springs. Though she casually stopped in the gallery while walking down Main Street as her family went fossil-hunting, Jennings left with an armful of jigsaw puzzles.
“A lot of this is hand-crafted and natural,” Jennings said. “And it's very nicely displayed.”
The gallery was opened by the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce in 1968. Its namesake was Dr. Harrison Anthony, a Moravia physician who supported local arts as a patron, a painter and a playwright. Several of his paintings are still on display in the gallery.
In 1976, the Anthony Gallery Guild was formed and separated from the chamber. The gallery has since enjoyed steady support from the Moravia community. In 1980, residents, businesses and civic groups pooled their resources to pay off $1,211.61 in back taxes owed by the building, which was donated by Thomas and Eleanor Cawley. The Moravia Rotary Club has been a strong source of assistance as well.
Due to today's harsh economic climate, the gallery receives less help from the community and finds itself struggling to pay soaring energy bills. But director Carol Faist is confident it will survive the hardship.
“The way the economy is, people just don't spend money on gifts,” she said. “But we're getting through.”
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
If you go
What: The Anthony Gallery
When: Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays
Where: 106 Main St., Moravia
“It's an outlet for local crafters and artisans and a way to sell their merchandise,” said volunteer Viola Shutts. “There's not a lot of other gift shops here.”
Like many volunteers, Shutts is also one of the gallery's contributing artists. She first sold her pot-holders and Christmas ornaments through the gallery in 1989 and started offering her time there two years later.
Other contributors are also consumers. Roger Phillips, who operates Glenview Photography and Design down Main Street in Moravia, supplies several of his photos for sale in the gallery and recently stopped in to purchase a few books.
“It's a good showcase for people to see what we have in Moravia,” he said. “And from the village's point of view, any business on Main Street is good.”
The creators provide the work they craft to the gallery and set their own prices. The gallery then adds a slight commission to cover building maintenance and other small expenses like packaging materials.
No one is paid for their part in operating the gallery. Twelve volunteers currently commit one or two days a week to overseeing the shop.
“I like the people,” Shutts said. “You never know who you're going to run into.”
Though it focuses on local work, the gallery casts a wider net for patronage. Many customers come from summer houses on Owasco Lake or the homes of family whom they're visiting.
Among the recent out-of-town visitors to the Anthony Gallery was Sandy Jennings of Glen Ellyn, Ill., whose father-in-law lives in Union Springs. Though she casually stopped in the gallery while walking down Main Street as her family went fossil-hunting, Jennings left with an armful of jigsaw puzzles.
“A lot of this is hand-crafted and natural,” Jennings said. “And it's very nicely displayed.”
The gallery was opened by the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce in 1968. Its namesake was Dr. Harrison Anthony, a Moravia physician who supported local arts as a patron, a painter and a playwright. Several of his paintings are still on display in the gallery.
In 1976, the Anthony Gallery Guild was formed and separated from the chamber. The gallery has since enjoyed steady support from the Moravia community. In 1980, residents, businesses and civic groups pooled their resources to pay off $1,211.61 in back taxes owed by the building, which was donated by Thomas and Eleanor Cawley. The Moravia Rotary Club has been a strong source of assistance as well.
Due to today's harsh economic climate, the gallery receives less help from the community and finds itself struggling to pay soaring energy bills. But director Carol Faist is confident it will survive the hardship.
“The way the economy is, people just don't spend money on gifts,” she said. “But we're getting through.”
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
If you go
What: The Anthony Gallery
When: Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays
Where: 106 Main St., Moravia
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