Local Residents Donate Art Collection to Scranton Library

MADISON, CT (May 8, 2023) – The E.C. Scranton Library announces a new, permanent art collection donated by Madison residents Penny and Allan Katz.

Penny and Allan Katz moved to Madison four years ago from Woodbridge, Connecticut. They are Art and Antique dealers with a specialty in nineteenth and early twentieth century American Folk Art. For the past twenty years Allan has been a regular on the TV show “Antiques Roadshow" on PBS.

"After frequent visits to the Scranton Memorial Library to view the newly renovated library, we had the idea to donate and install artworks throughout its spectacular interior," said Allan Katz. "We want to share our passion for art, and hope that it will serve to both educate and inspire others to feel the same."

Penny and Allan approached the library's Director, Sunnie Scarpa, with their idea at the beginning of 2023. Scarpa immediately embraced the proposed gift and enthusiastically began the process of selecting art. Scarpa and her staff reviewed three hundred pieces of art, ultimately selecting just over forty artworks that have now been labeled and installed throughout the Library and staff offices.

The collection consists of works of realism, abstraction, expressionism and minimalism in all mediums: paintings, works on paper, photography, collage, limited edition prints, mono-prints, mixed media and even a poster. All the artworks are framed and labelled in accordance with museum standards.

In order to enhance the experience for visitors Scarpa and her staff are developing a self-guided walking tour of the collection, which will provide more information about the individual artworks and the artists who created them. They plan to have an opening reception this summer when the walking tour is completed.

“Working on this project with Penny and Allan has been absolutely thrilling,” Scarpa said “I’m so grateful for their vision and generosity. They really understood from the outset that this would be a gift to the whole community and we are excited to share it. With such a wide variety of artworks, we believe there will be something to surprise and delight absolutely everyone!”

"Penny and I could not have imagined a more successful outcome,” Allan Katz said.

To learn more about the Scranton Library visit: www.scrantonlibrary.org