Malverne Chamber of Commerce's annual ArtWalk set for Saturday

Nearly 100 works of art created by more than 30 artists will be on display in almost 50 village businesses when the Malverne Chamber of Commerce kicks off its third annual ArtWalk on Saturday. The opening ceremony will be held at the Malverne Public Library at 11:30 a.m.

The exhibition will run through June 21 during regular business hours, and much of the art will be for sale.

Artists from across Long Island will showcase their work, ranging from photographs to sculptures, paintings, pencil drawings and more. Free maps detailing the location of all the artwork will be available at village businesses.

“We have a wide range of artists in this year’s event,” said Maria Casini, vice president of the Chamber of Commerce. “This event has continued to grow since it started, and more and more people get to experience our village.”

Chamber President Kathi Monroe said that hosting the event has given people the chance to see what the organization offers. “We host many events throughout the year,” she said, “but the ArtWalk is one of those events that reminds people about some of the great things that we do in the village.”

Among the artists are Malvernite Keith Rossein, a retired dentist and former village trustee who enjoys photography in his spare time. Rossein, 75, said he has taken pictures for nearly 50 years, and that many of his pieces are displayed in his home office. One of his featured photos, “Eccentric Tree,” was shot on a trip that he and his family made to Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay to visit Theodore Roosevelt’s estate.

“It caught my eye, the way the branches were walking away from the tree,” Rossein said. “I used the Super Vivid color setting on my Canon PowerShot. I post[ed] the photo on my Facebook page, and there was a huge buzz.”

Rossein took part in the ArtWalk last year, and recalled that his mother, Marcella Rossein, who turned 100 in 2018, got to see his photographs. “The chamber’s doing a really nice job, and it’s a great way to spotlight some of the things we do in this community,” Rossein said.

Mary Anne Huntington, an 80-year-old retired academic computing specialist who graduated from Malverne High School in 1956 and now lives in Cutchogue, in Suffolk County, said she was excited to return to the village to share her artwork. Her piece,“Starry Night,” which looks like silver jewelry but is made of organic clay, was inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s painting of the same name.

“It’s a complicated process and it’s an interesting medium, because, much like ceramic, you can mold organic clay, shape it and play with it,” Huntington said.

While growing up, Huntington often dabbled in art, but she stepped away from it until 15 years ago. She added that returning to the village to share her work would be the perfect homecoming. “It’s nice to see how the town has flourished,” Huntington said. “When I had the opportunity to go back, I jumped at it. I have a lot of fond memories, and what really excited me is that a part of you can go home again.”

Malverne Chamber of Commerce member Kris King, who displayed artwork at his store, Mindset Computer Repairs, last year, said he looked forward to featuring some of his photography on Saturday. King, 39, has taken photos for the past 15 years at different events on Long Island. Among his favorite subjects are cars, which are the focus of one of his works, “Nautical Mile at Dusk,” showing a row of Lamborghinis at the Long Island Exotic Club Car Show in Freeport in 2017.

“I remember that it was during the season opener for the Nautical Mile in Freeport,” King recalled. “I love shooting cars, but for that shot, I was just in the right place at the right time.”

James Anzalone, who runs the Art Academy of Long Island in Merrick, will feature his painting “Mother,” a portrait of his mother, Joyce, wearing a vibrant purple dress. He had painted his mother’s portrait previously, but was unsatisfied with the results. “I felt like I needed to do her some kind of justice,” said Anzalone, a Bellmore native who now lives in Brooklyn.

“It’s going to be cool just to be a part of local artists,” he said, “especially knowing that people from different parts of New York will come together through this event.”