Herald photographers to showcase work in Malverne storefront

“What does an art gallery do? It provokes the imagination,” says photographer Susan Grieco, who, along with about 10 other professional photographers who shoot for the Herald, has launched a photo gallery in Malverne.

Several months ago, after years of discussion of how the photographers could get together to exchange ideas and showcase their work, Herald freelancers Kathy Leistner and Jeff Wilson proposed the formation of a group that meets monthly. Grieco secured the Malverne village hall courtroom as a meeting space and suggested the use of a vacant storefront on Hempstead Avenue as the group’s display case.

Next door to the Malverne Cinema is a small storefront that theater owners Henry and Ann Stampfel had converted from a coffee shop into a screening room years ago. They cordoned off a small portion of the space — about six feet by four feet — painted the windows black and used it for storage. “[Former Mayor Joseph] Canzoneri had requested that we do something with it, ’cause, you know, it’s just a black window,” Henry Stampfel said, “but I just never could figure out what to do.” For a short time, a local woman decorated the window and used it to sell artwork.

When Grieco told Stampfel about the new group of photographers and their gallery idea, he was thrilled. “I thought it might be nice,” he said. “Now it’s theirs, and I hope they utilize it more and more to express themselves. It helps the town look a little nicer. … I think what they’re doing there is fantastic.”

So far, the photographers have framed three photos — which they selected by way of a vote — and put them in the window. They plan to put together their first exhibit, featuring Malverne at night, in the coming weeks. According to Grieco, the themes of the exhibits will change quarterly, and may or may not be related to Malverne.