| Emergency Arts, a complex of studios, non-profit charitiy spaces and galleries on 11th Avenue in Chelsea opened this past September. Not such big news in itself, sure, but, in this case, and in the approach taken here with the recyclable materials construction and communal feel of its dwellers, you see something closer to the heyday of early 70s Soho than anything akin to the current bent in Chelsea. You see, this building, with its new infusion of minds and souls, forwards a belief that the world can change for the better, which in turn inspires hope. |  |
Hope Grows in Chelsea – D. Dominick Lombardi
Emergency Arts, a complex of studios, non-profit charitiy spaces and galleries on 11th Avenue in Chelsea opened this past September. Not such big news in itself, sure, but, in this case, and in the approach taken here with the recyclable materials construction and communal feel of its dwellers, you see something closer to the heyday of early 70s Soho than anything akin to the current bent in Chelsea.
You see, this building, with its new infusion of minds and souls, forwards a belief that the world can change for the better, which in turn inspires hope. Many here offer solutions to some of the critical issues in the world today while maintaining a core set of concerns built on culture and creativity—all this in a location where most would expect to see an austere, formal, afluential gallery building. And hey—it even has the original baths from Plato’s Retreat. You remember, the one-time haven for the orgy addicted.
Some may see this as a dandelion in a rose garden, but others will certainly find it a breath of fresh air. Check out the galleries, studios and the charitable organizations to get a sense of what else could be happening here. And it ain’t that I am arguing with success. Nope. Chelsea is art. I’m just imagining—like anyone might do when coming upon something different—that the organic and, dare I say, overall sharing approach which began in Soho and which more or less kicked off the East Village art scene, could have worked in Chelsea. Maybe.
But, don’t just take my word for it. Instead, let’s hear what the people behind all of this have to say.
Melody Weir, Founder of Emergency Arts
My vision of Emergency Arts is to bring together artists, writers, film makers, environmentalists, humanitarians, philanthropists, performers and new world visionaries to change our failing planet. We are a collaborative of ideas, a think-tank of dreams—creative warriors peacefully fighting for global change and leading by example. Our path: educating youth, not by pointing the finger, but by redirecting their hearts and minds into a sustainable direction. To be part of this amazing family, your mission must be able to help Emergency Arts to facilitate change in a real and positive way. Whether promoting a clean water campaign in third-world countries through art installations that create awareness, or reaching out to children living with domestic violence by teaching them the benefits of comfort and compassion through hands-on art projects, this is what we do.
We live in very dark times and, unfortunately, art has become a substantial part of the “capitalist greed machine.” We’ve forgotten how to share ideas and dreams and we’ve forgotten to give back something from these amazing gifts that we’ve been given. We invite world leaders, global visionaries and international curators to join us in promoting global unity and humanitarian aid. In working with far-reaching organizations such as Move On.Org, Charity Water, The Wounded Warrior Project, Safe at Home, Public Color, Housing Works, NRDC, Environmental Protection Agency, Fair Trade and numerous others, we will build a more powerful voice and help further the great missions of these stellar organizations. We invite you all to share in achieving this monumental goal.
Margaret Roleke, Artist/Gallerist
Emergency is an amazing project to be involved in. The combination of the generosity of real estate developer Alf Naman and the vision of gallerist Melody Weir is what makes it all happen. Right from the start, we bonded into a tight community of diverse individuals. Several of the members are active in incredible charitable projects, and it has been great to brainstorm and to help get their projects up and running here. Melinda Hackett and I will be organizing exhibits in our space, First Run, where we will feature work mostly by artists who excite us with political and social issues.
First Run will also be shared with Dusty Wright of culturecatch.com, where musicians and artists will be interviewed via webcasts online—another great way to connect with a group of compelling people.
Melinda Hackett, Artist/Gallerist
There is a lot of energy generated at this space because of all of the exciting, creative projects going on. There are plans afoot for a green roof garden in conjunction with the Chelsea Museum next door—solar panels and wind energy may well filter collected energy into creative spaces like mine and Margaret’s. From here, we will invite artists and curators to imagine, reinvent and transform the space. There is the sense of an old artists’ commune here, yet, knowing how far and wide Melody Weir’s contacts reach, there will be no end to the stream of interesting types wandering through for visits, receptions, fashion shows and dinner parties. Also, there will also always be underlying changes and fluxes going on. While this precludes a greater sense of privacy, it makes for great curiosity and creates a sense of never quite knowing what or who will bring something fascinating to the creative table.
Thinking on your feet and taking a huge leap of faith for the greater good are primary instincts here, with no afterthoughts. It has been a wild ride, and it is great to be involved in a larger family of such talented, intelligent and forward-thinking people.
Dusty Wright and co-founder Richard Burns, CultureCatch.com
Emergency is an ethos of shared passion that has inspired a cooperative of artists and media folks who want their collective voices to resonate within people everywhere. In a world that is hyperventilating on overabundance, it is an oasis of calm, quiet resolve—a place to unleash creativity that will hopefully offer creative solutions to living in such complex and difficult times.
Tom Beale, Artist
Emergency began with a core group of people, a vision and an amazing raw, open building. What it is shaping into is one of the most exciting and promising spaces I’ve seen in New York. Artists, designers, non-profit directors and eco-entreprenueurs are rubbing elbows within anachronistically huge spaces that speak both of the history of this neighborhood and of its possible future. We have built our common areas almost entirely from re-used materials—in many cases repurposing debris that was left in the building when we found it—and we are moving towards making the building a model for the kinds of sustainable technologies that promise us a cleaner, healthier and more abundant future. As artists, we are rediscovering the amazing potential of operating as a community, learning from each other and of challenging ourselves to positively impact the world outside of our individual practices. The project is inspiring, and we are just at the beginning.
