Gallery owner, photographer, art dealer: Matt Smolinsky

Smolinsky seated on the steps of MiNor Gallery

Attention local art connoisseurs: located in Old Town is the MiNOR gallery, owned and operated by Matt Smolinsky. He purchases fine prints along with digital, psychedelic and street art to proudly display over at 282 Main Street, which is open to the public. A portion of the space holds pictures taken by Smolinsky himself. He has been involved in photography for about 27 years now.

Smolinsky specifically seeks out and purchases pieces that truly speak to him. He understands that it is impossible to predict the market and chooses to lead with his heart, as “art appreciates”. Smolinsky made the point that if you were to buy a painting for under 100 dollars which may never sell but that you look at every day, it has well lived up to its worth by utilitarian standards. That reigns especially true when said painting is displayed in a public space.

“Honestly, I really do find it rewarding to buy from other artists because I find their work to be so amazing and awesome. When it’s offered for a good price, I’m very grateful. I always feel happy to put that order in and make them know that I think they’re world-class,” Smolinsky said.

The gallery began as a solo passion project when Smolinsky and his wife purchased the building years ago. Their grand opening took place amidst the early days of COVID19, back in March of 2020. This was after having been prolonged for about a decade. Smolinsky was in seek of a building that would allow in other income to help break even. When MiNOR was first established, only a twentieth of the space was filled with various works of art.

Interior view of displayed art and postcards at MiNor

A noteworthy attribute of MiNOR gallery is its lack of entrance fee. Rather than charge visitors a small amount of money to walk the gallery, similar to most museums and attractions, Smolinsky merely asks that those who come by contribute if they would like to, even a single penny. What matters most to him is that everyone is given an opportunity to enjoy the art and take a free sticker on the way out if they so choose.

“I’ve had people give me anything from 50 cents to almost what it would cost, but it's an option.... Come in and look for free, which I think is valuable. People do it and they’re very happy, they bring their kids and look around. Could be 15 minutes of free entertainment on a hot summer day,” said Smolinsky.

MiNOR has since had one collaboration with a local business. Smolinsky possesses multiple projects created by individuals in the psychedelic art community. He approached the New England Reserve over on Stillwater Avenue and offered them the chance to display a few of the 4/20-themed works from his collection.

“I went to them and I said ‘You know, you’ve got people sitting in the lobby- not happy because they're waiting to go inside- which could take about 10 minutes. I’d be willing to put up art for free just to advertise here because it is my audience in a way anyway and makes sense for you’, “ said Smolinsky.

Furthermore, a student at UMaine even used scholarship funds to hold their own exhibit at MiNOR. Smolinsky took it upon himself to clear out a majority of the space in order to help that student launch his opening. That display remained up for a month and a few of his paintings were sold throughout that timeframe.

Smolinsky has devoted his life to supporting art in a multitude of ways. He has had interactions with 300 artists and periodically rotates which pieces are hung on the wall. The community he serves is generally looking to spend below $100 on a single work of art, so the prices are catered to that margin.

Walls of hallway lined with Smolinsky's photographs

As one could imagine, there are a few challenges that come with being a business owner, especially in the field of creativity. The most prominent drawback that MiNOR gallery faces would be location. Being right in the middle of Old Town, there is not much foot traffic in front of the building. Ever since the large fire which destroyed multiple buildings in 2019, the downtown area has been due for a revamping.

Furthermore, folks in Orono do not necessarily know about the gallery and are perhaps not even certain of what an art gallery is, or the purpose they serve. MiNOR in particular provides the community with a welcoming environment where they are able to see for themselves the pure talent of many artists- with no strings attached. It is in the entire town’s best interest to stop by and see for themselves.

Matt Smolinsky did express an interest in potentially hosting events, ranging from an open-mic night for poets to sessions of critique for artists. With those ideas in the works, keep an eye on the MiNOR gallery facebook account or contact the owner himself, whose information is also posted to that page.