New York City Artists Lose Thousands of Dollars Because They Can’t Get Back Their Artwork From a Cancelled Show

In Manhattan’s East Village, PIX11 reports: Twenty-five artists are demanding answers after a new display at Manhattan’s East Village Art Collection was unexpectedly canceled, leaving their artwork trapped inside the building.

‘We came here with a goal 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.

There was a lot at stake for me. I’m a mom to four, in fact. My response is simply, “How dare you!”

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The gallery was open from Friday night to Monday night. The ticketing company, Eventbrite, reportedly informed the artists of the change mere minutes before the exhibition was scheduled to open.

Melissa Driscol, whose brother-in-law was included in the exhibition, stated, “We got a notification one minute before 7 p.m., and the event was at 7:30 last Friday.” Not even a note saying, “Hey, this event isn’t happening” through email, phone, or text message was sent to the performers.

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“We’ve been calling and Instagramming and emailing and phone numbers have been disconnected,” Christine Ditolvo said, referring to a friend whose work was featured in the exhibition who lives in Vermont. You may say, “It’s really sketchy.”

The East Village Art Collection, according to a sign on the door, has temporarily closed due to a medical emergency but promises to return all artwork as soon as possible. However, according to the artists, the sign wasn’t put up until Monday afternoon.

“Those were not up when we came to the event on Friday or all weekend,” stated Driscol.

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The artists claim they have lost thousands of dollars in revenue, including the application fee of $500 in addition to the costs of producing and transporting their works. At the very least, according to Charlotte Art, she lost $15,000.

All that matters to them now is their job. “We just want the art back,” Driscol remarked.

The East Village Art Collection has not responded to PIX11 News’s emails or Instagram messages.