Evening of the Arts at the Gallupville House

By Bradley Towle. Photos courtesy Carrie Styles.

GALLUPVILLE — The Gallupville House hosted "An Evening of The Arts" on Thursday, March 21st. More than 100 walked through the doors of the historic building to hear musical performances from Schoharie Middle and High School singers, and they had the opportunity to appreciate and purchase artwork created by talented middle and high school students.

Parents, classmates, siblings, and Gallupville residents all crammed in for the event. Schoharie Central Schools’ 6-12 chorale and music teacher Carrie Styles led various musical performances throughout the night, including a duet from West Side Story, a solo performance from South Pacific, and the all-male choir's rendition of Billy Joel's "For the Longest Time." The tables lining the large room's perimeter displayed the students' artwork with informational placards providing the artists' names, grades, inspiration, and individual costs for interested buyers. SCS Friends of Fine Arts (FOFA), with support from The Gallupville House Association (GHA), hosted the festivities.

As a member of both groups, Heidi Florussen helped organize the event. "The main focus of the event was supporting the arts…focused on students fine arts," writes Florussen via email. "The Gallupville House Association was thrilled to have FOFA and the event at the Gallupville House." Florussen happily reported that all the student artwork sold, with over $500 paid out to the creators and an additional $555 collected in donations for FOFA and The Gallupville House. A silent auction in support of Olive Maland, alongside separate fundraising for the local teen, netted $230.

Maland's best friend, Emma Robert, created a unique piece, "Metamorphosis," for the silent auction. "It's heavily inspired by my own experiences with recent life events, particularly with Olive," explained Emma in her artist statement. "Olive has been one of my best friends for almost a decade, and with her getting diagnosed with cancer, a lot of change has happened." Maland was diagnosed with Stage 4 Burkitt Lymphoma/Leukemia in December 2023. Anyone who would like to donate to Olive Maland and her family can do so at https://www.gofundme.com/f/olives-fight-against-cancer. Anyone who would like to learn more about upcoming events at the Gallupville House (including the annual Easter Egg hunt scheduled for March 30th) can visit https://www.gallupvillehouse.org/.