Roosevelt Island Artists, Residents Fear Loss Of Gallery Space

ROOSEVELT ISLAND, NY — A group of artists and art aficionados on Roosevelt Island are fighting to preserve one of the neighborhood's few arts spaces.

Artworks have been removed from the walls of an annex gallery in the lobby of The Octagon — a residential development opened in 2006 following the conversion of the historic New York Lunatic Asylum — in order to make way for a new rental office, Laura Hussey of the Roosevelt Island Visual Art Association told Patch. RIVAA curated shows in the gallery for several years, and the space was "great for accommodating smaller-scale works" Hussey said.

The Bozzuto Group — the company that manages The Octagon — told an artist with RIVAA in August that they were no longer allowed to show their work in the gallery, Hussey said.

The loss of the gallery would be devastating for Roosevelt Island's arts community, which is already operating with limited exhibition space, Hussey said. RIVAA operates a separate gallery on the island, but the Octagon Gallery allowed the organization to give all of its artists a space to show their works. In July the group held a reception in the gallery for its show "Fresh Ideas," which showcased art from the group's newest members.

The Bozzuto Group plans to replace the gallery with a new rental office for the building. Hussey said that RIVAA has been in contact with the ownership group and is attempting to work out a solution that will save the space.

"We're just trying to get them to change their mind and reconsider that possible it's not so important to located the office right there and relocating it somewhere else," Hussey said. "It just seems to me — you know I'm not in their heads — it seems that the rental office could be in more than one place but this gallery is such a nice beautiful designed gallery and is something really special."

Residents of The Octagon have also voiced displeasure with Bozzuto's plans. Building resident Scott Pirro said he was inspired to create a petition in favor of saving the gallery when he heard of the plans to replace it during a meeting of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association.

Pirro, who belongs on the building's residents committee, told Patch that the gallery helps him de-stress after a long work day.

"I appreciate museums and art very much and whenever I travel I always go to art museums," Pirro said. "But in New York I never do — too busy or whatever. So I like when I come home — maybe from a stressful day from work — and a new exhibition has gone up and I can appreciate some really nice art."

Pirro also said that the gallery is one of the few amenities that draws visitors from the southern part of the island — which is where most residential developments are located.

Multiple attempts to reach the Bozzuto Group for comment were not answered. Patch will update this article if we hear from building management.

Photos courtesy Laura Hussey