Art Collective seeks donations
for community gallery space
24 Hour Denture Repair When Possible
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, NOVEMBER 2 22 9-DECEMBER 5, 2019 BTR
ORDER NOW! 1.866.749.2741
THE FAVORITE GIFT
COMBO PRICE
$6999
+ 4 FREE BURGERS
FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION CALL (718) 260-4593
BY KYLE VUILLE
Local collaborative, Art-
Condo, is asking the public to
donate money through an online
Kickstarter campaign to
create a community gallery
space in Melrose.
As New York City becomes
tougher for local artists, this
grassroots effort has sprouted
up to challenge affordability
and gentrifi cation happening
all around the metropolis by allowing
artist to own their studio
space.
Michele Gambetta, cofounder
of ArtCondo, who
shares a background of art and
real estate has set out with a
team of fellow creatives to develop
an affordable live/work
space from the ground up.
“The whole project, itself, is
to help creative people in NYC
stay in NYC through ownership,”
Gambetta said. “It is a
company, but basically we’re a
loose collective, in that we’re
working together for this aim
of trying to create new opportunities
for people to own.”
In 2017, Gambetta along with
(Right) The architect’s rendering
of what the ArtCondo building will
look like in Melrose. The construction
of prospective building at 368
E 152 St. is expected to begin in
March 2020. The hopes of ArtCondo’s
founders is to install a community
gallery on the ground fl oor
of the building. The building will
also feature 24 work/live units.
Photo courtesy of Michael Muroff Architect
15 artists/investors purchased
a 6,400 square foot vacant lot
in Melrose with the hopes of
building a space that will not
only help artists escape the
troubles of rising rents and unruly
landlords, but would give
back to the neighborhood.
“The gallery is meant to be
for the community,” Gambetta
said. “We’re not just parachuting
into the neighborhood,
that’s not we want, we want to
give back in some way because
we’re all very sensitive to the
concept of gentrifi cation.”
With the land purchased
and prospective groundbreaking
date for construction set for
March 2020, Gambetta is moving
onto her venture for the art
collaborative.
As of Saturday, November
7, ArtCondo has started a
30-day Kickstarter campaign
with a $50,000 goal to fund an
open gallery on the fi rst fl oor
of the prospective building.
The campaign has received approximately
$5,500 dollars as of
Wednesday, November 18.
“We’re trying to put a community
gallery space on the
ground fl oor of the building
and we want to give some local
Bronx non-profi t access to
it, free access to it, for a certain
amount of time, depending on
how much money we raise,”
Gambetta said. “We’re hoping
to kind of leverage ‘oh we’re doing
something great for artists,
but this is also for the community
too.’”
BY KYLEFor more information
on ArtCondo, future meetings,
and the link to the Kickstarter
campaign, visit www.
artcondo.com
/artcondo.com