“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 u