Eugene Lemay, President of Moishe's Moving, poses for a portrait in the ESKFF main gallery space..---.Wed Dec 14, 2011: Mana Center for Contemporary Art, at 888 Newark Avenue in Jersey City, NJ consists of gallery spaces, art storage facilities, framing and restoration facilities and is run by Eugene Lemay, President of Moishe's Moving and Storage. "Moishe's Moving and Storage is moving into the art world. Moishe's has purchased 1.5 million square feet of storage space in Jersey City, and has turned it into a contemporary art center, complete with galleries, performance space and beer garden. It's the biggest art center in Jersey City, and a completely for-profit venture. The business plan: provide art storage for major collectors and transform the interior of the warehouse into column-less, white-walled galleries to display those collections to the public. On display now: a half a dozen paintings by Chuck Close, and a major collection of works of photo realism. The Center also provides framing and art restoration services, and rents studios to established visual artists. The person behind all this is the President of Moishe's, Eugene Lemay. Lemay, born a Lebanese-Christian, moved from Detroit to Israel as a boy in the 60s, converted to Judaism, served during the 1982 war in Lebanon, and then returned to the U.S. and started working as a mover for Moishe's. He's driven to use art as a way to "build bridges" across cultures, but he's too much of a businessman to do it without also making a profit. Hence, the Mana Center for Contemporary Art. The Center officially opens to the public in February, and can be toured by appointment only anytime..Credit: Rob Bennett for The Wall Street Journal.Slug: NYMOISHESART