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HomeNewsArchivesGRAND GALLERIA SHOWING ST. JOHN ARTIST'S WORK

GRAND GALLERIA SHOWING ST. JOHN ARTIST'S WORK

Nov. 9, 2001 – An exhibition of paintings and sculpture by St. John artist Tonia Zambrano will go on display Saturday at the grand opening of The Grand Galleria Art Gallery.
"A Feast for the Eyes" is the title of the show, which will be hanging on the upstairs level when the gallery in the former Grand Hotel in downtown Charlotte Amalie opens at 9 a.m. Saturday. The artist will be on hand Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to discuss her work.
A week later, on Nov. 16, the gallery will expand the exhibit to a group show that will include works by St. Croix's Roy Lawaetz; St. Thomas's Pam Benedetto, Pita Gonzalez, Madeleine Meehan, Shansi Miller, Eunice Summer and Page Winter; and St. John's Les Anderson, Kimberly Boulon, Deborah St. Clair and Kat Sowa.
The expanded show also will include "the last family holdings" of the late Eric Winter, "including a private collection of oils never shown before," gallery owner Michael Paiewonsky said. And, he added, "We shall have a room apart with life studies by Eric Winter and Eunice Summer that have never been shown before."
The exhibition will remain in place through February 2002. "If successfully supported by the community, it will reopen when the restorations are complete in midsummer," Paiewonsky said. Plans also call for exhibiting the work of other artists — paintings, sculpture, photography and more, he said.
"We are dedicated to the non-Caribbean-style paintings that move you, teach you, reach you," Paiewonsky states in a MAPes MONDe release. "We welcome school tours. We will offer any school or community organization free lectures by appointment."
To arrange tours or lectures, e-mail a request to MAPes MONDe or telephone 771-4908 or 776-2160.
Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week, extended to 10 p.m. on Fridays. For those on St. John, arrangements have been made for a special ferry trip to downtown Charlotte Amalie on Fridays. The boat will depart Cruz Bay at 7 p.m. each week and leave the St. Thomas waterfront at 10 p.m. for the return trip. The round-trip fare is $10, and tickets may be purchased on St. John at MAPes MONDe in Mongoose Junction and at Connections.
Also, Paiewonsky said, "St. John hotels and villas can contact us for special transportation arrangements for their guests, as can St. John Artist Association members." To do so, call 771-4908 or e-mail to St. John MAPes MONDe.
Through the end of February, Paiewonsky said, 10 percent of the gross profits from the Zambrano exhibition and the group show will be donated to a not-for-profit service organization. "We will announce the charity after the show," he said.
In addition to mounting special shows such as the Zambrano and group exhibitions, Paiewonsky said, the gallery will continue to represent a growing roster of island artists. "We have just added several and will continue to do so," he said. "The shows will keep changing," he added, and for the art lover "will require many visits to comprehend the scope of the islands' best artists."

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