Report: East Village gallery a no-show on opening night, leaving artists without their work

Photos yesterday by Steven 

Twenty-five artists set to participate in a group show this past Friday night arrived to find the East Village venue papered up and their art locked inside. 

The four-day event was to take place at the East Village Art Collection (EVAC) at 215 First Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street. The artists reportedly have said they have yet to receive any notice from the gallery. 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. 

Here's what some of the artists had to say to PIX 11, who first reported on the gallery ghosting:

"We came here with a purpose to get our work out there and to make something of ourselves, and they took advantage of that and they stole from us,” said Charlotte Art, a Flint, Michigan-based artist. "I had a lot riding on this. And I'm a mother of four. 'How dare you' is what I have to say." 

"We got a notification one minute before 7 p.m., and the event was at 7:30 last Friday," said Melissa Driscol, whose brother-in-law’s art was part of the exhibit. “Not an email, not a phone call, not a text, just to tell the artists, 'Hey, this event isn’t happening." 

"We've been calling and Instagramming and emailing and phone numbers have been disconnected," said Christine Ditolvo, whose friend from Vermont had art in the exhibit. "It's really sketchy."

The EVAC Instagram account described the event like this: 

The Immersive Art Experience is a 360º, digital, physical, and musical art exhibition in NYC with East Village Party Vibes. 

THE EVAC invites you to step foot into the expansive universe of art to be surrounded by paintings, canvases, holograms, photography, fractals, and sculptures. 

Live Music and drinks for this special night. 

You as the guest will be able to connect and experience art on a different level like never before. The East Village Art Collection is unlike any gallery in the world. We focus on quality and unique art experiences. We are the opposite of boring. Art is everywhere! 

VIP doors open at 7:30 PM VIP entitles you to a private viewing prior to doors opening to the general admission. Upon your entry, you will be greeted with a cocktail of your choice, where you will be able to interact with the artists in a more intimate setting. You will also have access to the downstairs VIP lounge area with a couch. 

After the weekend, a sign arrived on the EVAC's front door noting, "Due to an unforeseen medical emergency, the gallery is closed at this time."

The small print reads, "all artwork will be returned as soon as possible."

In an EVAC Instagram comment, one of the artists, who traveled here from Florida, said the other artists were also from all around the country — as well as one from South Africa. 

Per the artist in the comment: 

So now they have our art. Paintings and photographs ranging from $5,000-$10,000 each in value. The gallery's phone goes to a voice mail, and their personal cells have been disconnected. No one knows why. Did they go out of business? Did they have an emergency? Or are they just scum bags? All I know is there were lots of broken hearts and dreams last night mixed with embarrassment. We all had invited peers, friends, and art collectors to this event to see a mess of us just standing on the sidewalks, looking at each in disbelief.

The EVAC website features a ticker with daily cryptocurrency prices by market cap. It states that it is "dedicated to providing a quality gallery space for artists of all mediums while merging physical art with the rapidly growing digital world."

The venue debuted in April 2021 under the guidance of Steve Hirsch, whose LinkedIn profile described him as EVAC's director of operations, having a 25-plus-year career in apparel design and merchandising and being "an industry innovator."

East Village artist and entrepreneur P.J. O'Rourke, with the help of Hirsch, had established his FlyeLyfe brand at this space. However, as we reported, O'Rourke found himself locked out of the space after one day in business, with the venue pivoting to the EVAC.

O'Rourke told EVG contributor Stacie Joy: "I went back to get my stuff ... Not only had they locked me out, but my belongings were also inside, and my partner told me it was his. They papered up the entire store, and a couple of weeks later, they are trying a fly-by-the-seat art gallery while leaving my livelihood at stake."

Hirsch would not comment on this sequence of events, stating at the time, "Mr. O'Rourke's statements are not facts." 

As for the canceled show this past weekend, the artists told PIX 11 that "they are now out thousands of dollars for their artwork and travel expenses, as well as a $500 submission fee."

"We just want the art back," Driscol told the station.