On a clear day in June, the exterior of Newburgh’s Art Supply is not complete without a vibrant rainbow flag above the red front door, undulating in the breeze. Customers who walk through that door are immediately greeted with color. The walls are a welcoming green-- the color of spring. Though the store is small, its aisles are neatly lined with paints, notebooks, markers, tools: every artist’s haven.

Right up the wooden stairs is a living space: it is immaculate, yet filled to the brim with vibrant paintings and decor. An old film camera stands in the corner of one room; it’s impossible to miss its six-foot towering frame. If one thing is clear, it is that there are artists who live here.

Gerardo Castro and Michael Gabor are partners in life and in business: the two men live together in an apartment above Newburgh Art Supply and have been its owners for 11 years. But, that’s not why they deserve recognition. Both are artists and activists who have tirelessly labored in their efforts to bolster the City of Newburgh’s community of artists.

“We have such a unique space. I think we’re the only business [in] that our business is in our home, not in the building. You walk into this store and you walk into our house,” says Castro as he sits comfortably in his apartment above the store. Gabor, who is sitting next to him, agrees.

You can get anything from architectural supplies to walnut oil here; Castro and Gabor have worked to make sure that artists have access to supplies that are not readily available in other stores. “There are no art supplies stores around, and there’s nothing [like this store] in Orange County,” says Gabor.

The creation of Newburgh Art Supplies began after Castro and Gabor met through a mutual friend in 2007. And, after a year of planning, it opened in 2008.

According to Gabor, the decision to open a store like this one in Newburgh was not taken lightly. “Both of us are very detail oriented. If you’re going to do something like that, you want to do the best you can possibly do… We were going to take this seriously. We wanted to build something that people would come to because it would be different, and not [otherwise] available,” he explains.

He is honored that people want to “spend their money with us. People come into our store and actually agree that what we have to offer is something that they need.”

Gabor, a photographer, moved to Newburgh from New York City after he lost his job. During a visit with a friend who had left Soho and bought property in Newburgh, he realized: “It seemed like it would be a great arts community, a great place for artists to come.”

A good portion of Castro’s work involves painting, although he dabbles in various other mediums. He moved from Jersey City after finding himself enthralled by the city of Newburgh, saying, “I had so much air, so much space. It was a slower pace of things; I got more done because I had more quietness. I was able to achieve more.”

Castro’s life--and therefore his art-- “is activism.” Being a person of color and part of the LBGTQIA community, Castro had difficulty relating to other artwork. Years ago, he resolved that he “was going to represent this black and brown person in my work. So, wherever my work hangs, you will encounter a black and brown person. And, that in of itself is a win.”

All of Castro’s art is representative of the struggles he’s endured throughout the course of his life--it is transcendent and inclusive. His art focuses on his own Latino heritage, deconstructing gender and sexuality, and cultural masculinity. “Being Latino, [I have] always [had] a huge umbrella over my head,” Castro says. As a gay man, he “grew up in a system where this idea of being a man placed [him] in a category that, at times, was very violent.”

Castro’s family wasn’t accepting of his older brother, who was also gay. He “took all of the fury,” he remembers. Only a teenager, Castro’s brother was sent to live with other family and friends. Then, Castro says, the whispers turned to his direction: “[They would say] he’s just like him. He’s going to be just like his brother.”

As a young adult, Castro joined the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) after its formation in 1987. He went to protests after his friends started passing away. “Being a young person when you’re 17, 18 and you start to go to funerals every week where you suddenly see a friend one weekend, and they tell you now they’re going to the hospital-- you know you’re going to their funeral,” Castro says. He joined ACT UP because “there was no other option, but to be angry, becuase of what was happening to the gay and lesbian community.”

Then, in 1993, his brother passed away. The death of Castro’s brother split family members apart, but also brought them together in new ways. Though he was diagnosed with HIV, Castro cited other health issues that impacted his brother’s decline. His death also “brought up issues on why he died the way he died, and being kicked out of the house at such a young age,” he says.

Though Gabor’s experiences differ from Castro’s, he knows that he is “privileged” to have them. Their sexuality “doesn’t affect our day to day lives” he says. And, being a couple hasn’t either. Castro and Gabor have found acceptance in Newburgh and say that discrimination is not something that they’ve experienced since moving here.

“Most people don’t [even] realize that there are a lot of gay people here,” explains Gabor. “It’s what drove the restoration movement in Newburgh.”

As far as their activism in art, Castro and Gabor are at the epicenter of multiple community projects designed to raise awareness about the art scene that take place in Newburgh. They are organizers of Newburgh Open Studios, an annual two day walking tour that allows people all over the Hudson Valley (and beyond) to visit artists in their studios. During a fall weekend, artists open their doors to the public and hold demonstrations, show off their work, and connect with whoever comes to their studio space. The tour, which takes place all over the City of Newburgh, began with eleven artists in its first year. In its second year, 33 artists set up shop and opened their doors. It has only grown exponentially since then, and hundreds of people take part walking all over the city.

Castro additionally organizes The Lightbulb Project, which publicly fuses Newburgh’s art and history together. In 1884, Newburgh became the second city in New York to be powered by electricity. In order to honor this part of Newburgh’s history, Castro came up with the idea to have artists decorate wooden light bulbs with materials that could withstand weather conditions. Then, he spread the lightbulbs everywhere around the city for people to enjoy.

It’s important to Castro and Gabor that art is an accessible commodity for everyone-- no matter their economic status, race, sexuality, or gender. “Art is not about ‘getting it,’ says Castro as he leans forward in his chair. “It’s about feeling it. If you don’t feel it, you failed because you failed at communicating your piece.”

Though it’s inspiring, it is a bit of a culture shock for both men to see many younger members of the LGBTQIA community out and proud. “There were a bunch of us that helped [them] have an easier and better life, so that [they] can be that way. The same way that before me, my brother had to pay the consequences so I can have a better life,” says Castro. And, he believes that this is the biggest sacrifice that anyone can make: having to “give up everything because of what you know is right inside.”

And, those who walk by the store know: the gay pride flag that hangs outside of Newburgh Art Supply centers upon “the idea that we’re all different people,” Gabor explains.

It also is a symbol “of the people that are in this building [and] of our mindset,” says Castro. “We’re secure enough in who we are to let you know that this is a place that we accept [everyone], and [that] you need to accept us too.”