Annamaly Gallery receives large donation

KINGSTON — The late Jerry Zezza was a beloved art teacher as well as basketball coach at while teaching at Wyoming Area. When he passed away on Dec. 10, 2023 he left a legacy of former students he influenced over his 39-year career.

Needless to say, when the Zezza family had the task of cleaning out his home, a treasure-trove of art supplies, artwork and original art pieces done my Jerry himself were discovered.

“When we were cleaning out the house, everyone took whatever they wanted and we had a lot of leftover paint brushes, pastels, watercolor pads and it was all good material,” Zezza’s son, Jerry said. “I knew Anna Malsky had an art studio and she said she could use some supplies.”

Knowing she was teaching future art classes, Malsky accepted the younger Zezza’s offer.

Malsky runs Annamaly Art Gallery, 900 Rutter Ave., Forty Fort, and this past summer, she held Arts in Motion summer art camp for children.

“It was so cool that we got such a large donation and as we started looking at the items from three large drop offs,” Malsky said. “As I was going through it all, it was these fantastic art materials and supplies that my kids could use. Art materials are very, very expensive and it’s hard to collect these materials over time, so the donation has been great.”

The supplies from the donation are topnotch according to Malsky.

“The supplies are materials I can’t afford to buy,” Malsky added. “But now, I can show the students the difference between the more expense materials then the lesser.”

Malsky said a lot of the materials come from the 1980 including high quality tubes of acrylic paint and other materials not even open as well as art books on artists and history of art.

In addition to the supplies, the Zezza family donated some of Mr. Zezza’s own artwork that will be hung at the gallery.

One item found was a personal note from one of Zezza’s students that Malsky will do something special with in honor of art teacher.

Malsky, a West Pittston native, is a graduate of Wyoming Area and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia.

Annamaly Art Gallery offers youth art classes and camps all-year-round. Call for the schedule.

“Let me just say, this is not daycare, it’s not preschool, it’s a space I provide for art experiences,” Malsky added. “We do a free-flowing curriculum where I do all of what I learned at the Academy and put it all together, but in a less stuffy way.”

During the school year, Malsky said, gives private art lessons and has art club on Fridays and “kids come from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and make art and eat pizza and hang out.”

The gallery, made up of the studio and the gallery and the gallery can be rented out.

She will be taking a brief hiatus to have a child then gear back up later this fall.

For further information on Annamaly Art Gallery, call (570) 237-2095.