On Friday, April 14, dozens of artists were gearing up for the opening of their group show in Lower Manhattan, a show that had been in the works for weeks. But when they arrived on the scene, they found their works still packed up on the gallery floor locked and empty. The curator who charged each of them a $500 participation fee could not be found.
The artists were contacted via social media with an invitation to apply for a place in an “immersive experience” at the East Village Art Collection (EVAC). While the exact number of attendees remains unclear, approximately 25 artists have been selected to exhibit their work in an on-site exhibition on April 14 in the gallery’s First Avenue space, and an additional cohort has chosen to participate in a rotating display of their work in Times Square. . But like the East Village blog Sorrow EV reported, neither item materialized. Chief Curator Steven Hirsch and other EVAC affiliates have yet to provide details regarding the unscheduled cancellation, leaving the performers, some of whom have traveled from out of state and even internationally , allegedly thousands of dollars and convinced it was all “a scam.”
Hirsch told attendees he had a “medical emergency,” but more than two weeks later, the artists say they are still in the dark. Hirsch did not respond to Hyperallergic‘s multiple requests for comment for this story.
At first glance, EVAC appears to be a vanity gallery that charges each artist $500 to exhibit their work. The events are also ticketed with general admission and VIP levels, and all proceeds from the sale of artwork would be directed to the artists. Florida based artist GinaBella Presser said Hyperallergic that she received an Instagram message from an independent account asking her to contact Official EVAC account March 8.
“It felt legit,” Presser said. “I was first asked to attend as a guest, then I was asked to apply for one of their shows.”
After paying the $25 application fee, she was one of dozens accepted for EVAC matter and energy event scheduled for April 14. As an emerging artist, Presser was excited to exhibit in New York and had her work insured and shipped independently before booking accommodation and airfare for herself and a few members of the family, which cost him more than $3,000. Luckily, Presser was able to get her work back from the gallery with the help of UPS and worked with her bank to get her $500 exhibition fee reimbursed – she says the gallery automatically billed her for the remaining balance of $475 upon her acceptance into the show – but her accommodations and airfare were non-refundable.
Michigan-based painter Charlotte Shinabarger was on hand April 14 ahead of the reception before receiving notification from ticketing company Eventbrite that the event was cancelled. She and other participating artists who gathered outside the locked gallery were surprised organizers hadn’t released any of this sooner, fearing they had been ripped off. The group acted quickly and lined the gallery windows with messages stating that their work had been “stolen” and that the EVAC was made up of “crooks”, “thieves” and “criminals”.
Shinabarger volunteered to visit Hirsch’s place of residence and demand answers. She said Hyperallergic that she was held up by a doorman who initiated a FaceTime call between her and Hirsch. “I was polite about it and he said there was a medical emergency and reassured me that everyone would get the refund and their artwork,” Shinabarger said.. “I asked when that would be and he said he couldn’t answer that right now, and when I asked someone to meet us at the gallery where I was just two hours before , he told me he couldn’t.”
“But when I came back to the gallery 40 minutes later, they had removed all of our signs and added the notice that the gallery was closed due to a medical emergency,” she added.
Another artist was able to secure Shinabarger’s work for her when the gallery briefly opened for collections on April 22, but it will cost $86 to ship it back to Michigan and she still hasn’t been reimbursed for shipping costs. exposure.
“I’ll fall on my face for anyone in the name of art, I love it,” Shinabarger explained. “It doesn’t scare me or bother me at all. It’s the fact that my kids were supporting me like that and I had to come back and tell them what happened is what hurts me the most.
Julia Comita, a New York-based creative professional, had shown with EVAC last February and was excited about the Times Square billboard display component she had been accepted for.
“I had no problem dropping off my works or picking them up after the group exhibition,” Comita said in a statement to Hyperallergic. “I was surprised to hear that they had sold out tickets for the event, and really the show was packed, which led me to believe that they were doing well with this particular business model. ”
Comita said that EVAC, while responsive at first, did not release scheduling information about two weeks before the billboard display went live, so it consulted with Integration Media, the billboards with which EVAC had contracted. Comita learned that EVAC neither sent her nor any of the artists’ art files to the billboard company or paid the billboard bill after the commercial contract was signed. Hyperallergic confirmed with an account manager at Integration Media that the invoice had not been paid and that Hirsch and other EVAC employees had stopped responding after the contract was signed.
“It was boring and confusing because I had spent a lot of time and attention developing this project with EVAC,” said the account manager, who requested that his name not be used.
At this point, artists everywhere say they have not received any updates, apologies or refunds from the gallery for exhibition fees. Those who were able to recover the funds managed to do so through their banks, and Hirsch only answered questions about planning for the art collections without providing further details regarding the incident. Sorrow EV reported that EVAC’s gallery location at 215 First Avenue is now up for rent starting May 1, prompting more questions from artists who say they were left high and dry.
“To this day, I’m completely baffled why a company I literally just worked with would ghost in a show that they hired 60-80 performers to perform with absolutely no communication,” Comita lamented.
“Fortunately, a few dozen artists found each other through this process through the wonders of social media and made the best of a bad situation.” “My heart absolutely goes out to all the artists who not only paid for this show, but traveled from all over the world to see this show (along with their family and friends), and still have no idea why their art was not exhibited in Times Square.”
