MicoMoCA: A New Community Art Exhibit Unveiled

A new community art project, MicroMoCa, has installed its first project at the Sobro Conservancy located at 209 South Broadway. 

70 years ago, the land of Sobro Conservancy was a gas station at the busy intersection of South Broadway, Ballston Avenue, Circular and West Circular streets. When the gas station closed a few decades ago, the lot was cleaned up by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The lot sat vacant for another couple of decades until 2022 when the land ownership was transferred to Sobro Conservancy. 

“The principal clientele is these little things that float around and buzz and pollinate, and the birds that like to eat their caterpillars,” said Tom Denny, president of Sobro Conservacy. “In other words, at some level, this is primarily an ecological habitat. But the other clientele is the citizens and visitors to Saratoga.”

Emily Tironi is a resident of the Stonequist Apartments near the Sobro Conservancy. She founded MicroMoCA to give artisan builders the chance to create “micro” art galleries. 

The inaugural art installation is titled “Once Upon a Time,” featuring works by Brenda Verardi. Her exhibit features six watercolor landscapes, demonstrating her love of Northeastern nature with bold shapes and intense, vibrant colors. Verardi is a retired anthropology teacher and long-term resident of Saratoga Springs, started painting and drawing as a child, encouraged and inspired by her mother, who also painted.

Chris Jacobs built the art display at Main Street Studio in Charlton.

“The idea is the light will be able to filter into the back when the sun is moving around,” said Jacobs. 

The exhibit will rotate collections from artists in the community inspired by nature and the environment. 

A second microMoCA gallery will be coming soon to Stonequist Apartments, followed by a third at another location later this fall.