Past & Present Projects

  • The exhibition featured more than 80 objects of animal life folk art, including bears, moose, elk, deer, squirrels, snakes, turtles, fish, frogs, and a wide variety of birds. These highly inventive and playful works reflect their makers' desire to capture the animals’ individual characteristics. Various materials were used in crafting these pieces; many are based in wood but infused with imaginative details fashioned out of metal, seashells, beads, and leather. Others were created entirely out of materials such as deer antlers, canvas, pieces of discarded oil drums, and even bottle caps. The objects, many of which were found in camps throughout Maine, date from the late 19th to the late 20th centuries. While a number of the pieces were created for home and outdoor decoration, others were utilitarian objects, aiding hunters or fisherman in attracting their prey or acting as rooftop weathervanes. Wild Things reflects the personal collection of Kate Manko, a dealer and collector of American Folk Art, who has assembled the wildlife objects over a 20 year period. 

    The Brick Store Museum, Kennebunk, Maine. Spring thru Winter 2007.

  • An extremely unique exhibit of Adirondack and Northern New England camp furniture and accessories all assembled over a 15 year period. Some of the best known and one-of-a-kind examples in or out of museums were shown for the first time ever. This was only the second time a private collection of a student of Syracuse University was held at Lowe Art Gallery. Kate Manko collaborated with her parents Ken & Ida on the exhibit while she was still attending the University. 

    Lowe Art Gallery, Syracuse University. Syracuse, New York. Fall 2004.

  • Featuring the museum’s own circa 1899 Wabanaki birch bark canoe and an array of vintage paddles and oars on loan from the private collection of Kate Manko, “In the Maine Stream” is equal parts history, art, and nostalgia. The exhibit displayed the utilitarian simplicity of the hand-crafted wooden paddles, many of which are painted in a folk art tradition with scenes, monograms and names conjuring up images of Maine’s beauty.  Kate’s collection was assembled over the last 15 years while antiquing along the coast of Maine. 

    The Brick Store Museum, Kennebunk, Maine. Summer 2010 thru Spring 2011.

  • An exhibit on Maine camp life done in vignette settings along with highlighted pieces featuring approximately 200 items that would have been found in and around early Maine camps. This collection of items took nearly 20 years to assemble and covers both the decorative aspect and necessities that were a part of camps before electricity and flush toilets. Almost without exception, every person, young or old to view this exhibit was inspired to do some “story telling” of their own treasured camp experience. Camp Maine was also featured in the Discoveries by Designers section of Architectural Digest. 

    The Brick Store Museum, Kennebunk, Maine. Spring thru Fall 2006.

  • Paint Decorated Rocker. Maine, ca.1830. Signed E. March.

    Found in the attic of the circa 1828 Captain Eldridge house in Wells, Maine, the chair is believed to have been among the house’s earliest furnishings. 

    Local museum curator Tom Johnson identified the rocker as the work of Edward March who according to city directories, produced chairs in Portland, Maine, from only 1830 to 1831. 

    Kate Manko sold the rocker to collectors who contacted the Maine State Museum in Augusta. They agreed to donate the rocker to the museum for its permanent collection of Maine paint decorated furniture.

  • A first ever exhibit of a student’s private collection at Syracuse University since the schools inception in 1870. The exhibit, held at the prestigious Lowe Art Gallery, featured nearly 70 “wild” animals in all medias from the late 1700’s to the late 1990’s. Kate Manko collected all of the pieces over a 20 year period on her travels that included antique shows, shops and flea markets, mostly in New England, but there were also examples from the Pacific Northwest as well as the Caribbean. 

    Lowe Art Gallery, Syracuse University. Syracuse, New York. Fall 2002.