Photo by Matthew VanWright for The Lafayette

Hank the Tank can be found curled up in a ball at the Connexions Gallery.

Hank the Tank, the 10-year-old ginger cat, can generally be found on his couch at the front of Connexions Gallery in Easton, peacefully napping the day away. However, on Saturday, he found himself surrounded by art exhibits of himself.

Unofficially the mascot of Connexions, Hank is quite popular with both regulars and passersby. In commemoration of Ginger Cat Appreciation Day, which took place days after the event, his owner decided to turn the occasion into a celebration centered around the iconic cat.

“He’s relatively famous, like, not even joking with you,” said the store’s owner and artist, Anthony Marraccini. “I’m just like, ‘Well, why not?’”

There were 83 pieces of Hank in all. These included portraits, photographs and even a diorama depicting Hank’s favorite chair. Featured pieces came from local artists of diverse backgrounds and ages, including some as young as 12 years old.

Most of the pieces themselves accentuated Hank’s color scheme, with notes of orange that call back to Hank’s identity as a ginger cat. In the pieces, Hank can be found doing activities such as sleeping, directing a local meeting and modeling for the camera.

Attendees had a variety of favorites for the event. “Kitty in the Garden” by local artist Barbara Cosero, a colorful piece depicting Hank in a forest that utilized felt, crochet yarn and other materials, was a favorite of attendee Paul Smelts.

Hank himself had his own adversity before he came to Easton. He was a tagged stray, from which the nick on his right ear comes, before living at a shelter for four months. It was alongside the acquisition of the store by its current owner that he gained his fame.

Connexions will continue to have community events peppered throughout weekends, featuring local artists.

“Art in general reflects who we are inside and outside, and it’s good to know that,” Smelts said. “We are reminded about the beauty that’s in us, and it’s just a nice thing to have.”

“Even though this is a commercial space, it’s a retail environment, it’s also a third space where people come and collect to share ideas, make goals, make friends, that kind of stuff,” Marraccini said. “It’s how we build bridges between people.”