After group-show ghosting, the EVAC space is for lease on 1st Avenue

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. 

 

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.

Meanwhile, some of the artists involved in the group-show ghosting have banded together and formed Artists United NYC...

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Artists United NYC (@artistsunitednyc)

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. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• The EVAC, an arts venue, replaces FlyeLyfe on 1st Avenue after 1 day in business — why?

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.

The EVAC, an arts venue, replaces FlyeLyfe on 1st Avenue after 1 day in business — why?

Reporting and photos by Stacie Joy

The EVAC is in the works for 215 First Ave. just south of 13th Street. 

According to Steve Hirsch, who's opening the EVAC (East Village Art Collection), the space will be an art gallery with music, spoken word, painting, sculpture, photography and "maybe even a small Calder show." 

"We want to work with the community and showcase East Village artists," said Hirsch, whose LinkedIn profile describes him as having a 25-plus year career in apparel design and merchandising and being "an industry innovator." "There are no galleries on First Avenue in this area."

The EVAC's arrival means that East Village-based artist and entrepreneur P.J. O'Rourke's FlyeLyfe, which moved to this storefront from 11th Street last month, will not be continuing on from this location — after just one day in business. 

According to Hirsch, who was involved with securing the new FlyeLyfe storefront with the goal of expanding the brand: "We had a change in the business plan. We're no longer working with P.J. O'Rourke — we're going in a different direction." 

And this quick turn of events took O'Rourke by surprise. In an interview and subsequent email exchange, O'Rourke described his version of the story. He didn't mention Hirsch by name, referring to him instead as his "so-called business partner," who first bought a print from O'Rourke when he was still hustling his T-shirts, hats and other original designs from the L train.

Hirsch, he said, helped him secure the first FlyeLyfe storefront on 11th Street before Avenue A and First Avenue.

"When it came time to scale up, he offered 215 First Ave. if we signed a partnership. I obliged hesitantly, but obliged nonetheless based on his word of helping it scale 'worldwide.' The new LLC was signed on Jan. 26, and the grand opening was March 19," O'Rourke said. "After hiring a few employees, he decided to make a very authoritarian person in charge of handling and managing employees. The employees were intimidated amongst other things with 'even if you’re not here, you're being filmed.' All this time of preparation, my job was to be the artist and not worry about any of the management and set up at the shop."

O'Rourke said that he "had to put faith and trust into the process." While the grand opening day on March 19 was a success, a "verbal altercation" the night before between a friend of O'Rourke's and Hirsch at the storefront apparently soured relations. Hirsch and the "authoritarian person" allegedly said that the friend wasn't welcome in the space. 

Later on the opening day, according to O'Rourke, his "business partner" then shut down the space.

"I immediately left ... in complete shock. I even came back a couple of hours later and was berated by the authoritarian figure and completely undermined. He said 'you just fucked up, I have been talking to local artists, and we have no problem turning this into an artist space without you,'" per O'Rourke. "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 now a couple of weeks later, they are trying a fly-by-the-seat art gallery, while leaving my livelihood at stake. And that's factually what has happened to me at this point. I really just need to get my stuff back so I can make my living again."

In a follow-up call, Hirsch, whose LinkedIn profile lists him as director of operations for FlyeLyfe, denied this version of the events.

"I have no comment on what Mr. O'Rourke had to say. Mr. O'Rourke's statements are not facts," Hirsch said. "He presented his version of the story, I presented something different." 

He then ended the call by saying "this conversation is over."

For now, O'Rourke is in a holding pattern. You can follow the FlyeLyfe website or Instagram for updates. In the interim, O'Rourke said that he has been working on creating NFTs.