Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
A for-lease sign arrived late yesterday afternoon outside 215 First Ave., the now-former home of the East Village Art Collection (EVAC) between 12th Street and 13th Street.
The rental notice comes five days after the art venue failed to open for a group show featuring 25 artists from around the country (and overseas) who now find their work locked inside the space. 
As previously reported, the artists, who paid a $500 submission fee to display their work here, showed up for the opening on Friday night — only to find the space locked and papered up. Attendees who bought tickets for the event received notices and refunds from Eventbrite minutes before the start of the show, per comments on EVAC's Instagram account.
Meanwhile, some of the artists involved in the group-show ghosting have banded together and formed Artists United NYC...
Goldberg said he didn't know anything else about the circumstances here... that he was simply the leasing agent for the property. As such, he noted that the storefront, previously a Dunkin', will be available to rent starting May 1. Asking rent: $12,500.
After the weekend, a sign on the EVAC's front door noted, "Due to an unforeseen medical emergency, the gallery is closed at this time." 
Greg Goldberg, a senior director at Meridian Capital Group, had just arrived and put up the rental sign when EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by the space late yesterday afternoon.
Goldberg said he spoke with "a representative" of Steve Hirsch, who opened EVAC under questionable circumstances in 2021, and was told that they were "vacating the space and would be out by the end of the month." (There is no mention of a new location on the EVAC website or social media properties.)
And the artwork inside? The EVAC representative told Goldberg that "all the art was being packed up" to be returned to the artists by the end of next week.
Previously on EV Grieve:
13 comments:
It's hard to tell what isn't a grift in the art world, so this is not surprising at all.
It's called pay to play. You shouldn't be paying to show. Unless it's a cooperative of artists, chipping in to rent a space, but even then.
What I find strange is the amount they made off with equals the asking rent, $12,500. 25 times 500 bucks.
I trust that there's a special place in hell for people who prey upon the hopes and dreams of poor trusting souls like this.
Maybe artists don't know they that a reputable gallery won't tell them they have to pay a fee ($500!!!) to show their work?
Seems like this guy must have been a very smooth talker to take advantage of so many naive people. Horrible human.
I hope there's legal recourse for them -- in addition to getting their work back! -- but I don't think it's likely.
Absolute trash people behind this
crypto startup screws over the gullible yet again
and yes you dont have to pay to be in a show, but some artists are their own vendors and rent space. This however under a gallery advertising like it was hot shite to those not in the NYC art world is just pure greed and give a lot of good galleries struggling a bad name.
I'd love to see the business registrations.... something tells me nothing about this place was legit and nothing more than a crypto startup scam to take cash and run
I feel so bad for these artist who were scammed.
ARTISTS who were scammed: I'd be at the 9th Precinct station house (321 East 5th Street, always open) to discuss this situation with the police, b/c this so-called "gallery" is within that precinct's jurisdiction.
File a police report, or better yet, file a BUNCH of police reports. This is fraud, apparently from the get-go. This is theft of your money & your art work. Misrepresentation from A to Z. This is not a "mishap", it's larceny.
PS: If there's a pro-bono lawyer out there, maybe you can lend these artists a hand.
It's sad to read about victims to such predatory "business" practices. I would love to see a legitimate gallery volunteer to show these artists' works as a display of what the community is really about.
I just noticed there are like four locks on this door. Reminds me of Get Smart…
They were always SKETCH
We paid 500$ to these same people to show art on a tv screen in Times Square and found nothing was showing there ? Are there others too?
I am a french artist and payed to be a part of the show .
I will contact the autorities NYPD and FBI
For internet scam . If interested about a police action , let s regroup and file a complaint. I am reachable at fredlal@hotmail.com
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