KAREN PERRY –
NORTH SHORE TOWERS NEXT GENERATION
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
I had what I would call a fairy tale childhood.
My parents, my three brothers and
I lived in an apartment complex called
Cryder Point in Whitestone. What made
it special was that my father’s family had
moved en masse to Cryder Point and we
occupied eight apartments there. On any
given day I could see my grandmother,
six of my aunts and uncles and nine of
my first cousins. Our lifestyle was a more
affluent version of how extended families
in Brooklyn and the Bronx had lived
decades earlier.
The highlight of this warm, enveloping
arrangement was my grandmother. She was
a brilliant woman and I always wondered
what she would have accomplished if her
parents had not taken her out of school
at a young age to sew in the sweatshops.
After leaving Cryder Point, we left the
Perry enclave and moved to New Hyde
Park, where I attended the Herricks
schools. It sounds sentimental, but I think
I spent years looking for an environment
to match the warmth of Cryder Point.
WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR
HIGHER EDUCATION?
After high school, I attended Yale
University, a member of the second class
of women to attend the school. I graduated
from Yale in a rare three-year course of study
with a major in Psychology and a minor in
Art History.
It is true that timing is everything. As I
was graduating from Yale with honors, the
Wharton School was making a commitment
to increase the number of women in its classes.
I graduated from Wharton with a major
in Marketing.
Having a Marketing background with significant
interests in consumer psychology
and fine arts, advertising agency account
management seemed the perfect career
choice. I spent my entire career working
in major agencies on consumer packaged
goods accounts.
WHERE DID YOU LIVE BEFORE
COMING TO NST?
I moved here twelve years ago. Before that,
I lived on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
In addition to my job, I did a lot of museum
volunteer work. The Museum of Modern
Art, the Whitney and the Museum of Art
& Design were all my “homes away from
home” during the over 20 years I spent in
Manhattan.
Why would anyone move from Manhattan
to NST? One simple answer is that two of my
aunts and uncles were original tenants here.
During my many visits I thought NST was at
once beautiful and uniquely functional. In
my early days here, I called myself “the fugitive
of the Second Avenue Subway.” While
the end result is outstanding, residents of
the neighborhood withstood everything from
dirt to store closings to rats during the long
years of the subway’s construction.
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED
IN THE ART STUDIO HERE?
I never picked up a paint brush before I
moved to North Shore Towers. Perhaps I did
not want to be compared with my mother,
accomplished sculptor and Building One
resident, Marlyn Perry. I was interested in
art history and crafts but never fine arts.
But once I tried my hand at painting in
our art studio, I was hooked. In addition
to providing me with a long term hobby, I
found other ways to use my management
and artistic skills here.
First, I was fortunate enough to join with
Bob Ricken and other resident enthusiasts
to present the 2014 and 2016 North Shore
Towers Art Shows. It was my pleasure and
honor to help showcase the many, varied
creative talents of our vibrant community.
Another exciting opportunity was presented
to me when our Art Studio needed new
management. Given the creative talents of
so many of our fellow residents, it seemed
obvious that North Shore Towers should play
a key role in the new art studio. Once the
concept of private management of the Studio
was replaced with a management-driven
idea, the momentum was on. The physical
space was completely refurbished and furnished
like any top quality studio space.
Though sadly interrupted by the current
health crisis, the Studio was well on its
way to becoming the creative home of both
beginning and experienced artists. Our main
wish is for the health and well-being of all.
However, a distant second is returning to
the vibrant lifestyle we all so enjoy. The Art
Studio stands ready to be part of the revived
life at North Shore Towers.
I surprised myself with a comment I made
during a recent renovation in my apartment.
I said to the contractor, “Do a good job. It
has to last because I can’t see myself living
anyplace else.” Sounds like a good idea
to me.
Why does an Ivy League graduate leave
the Upper East Side of Manhattan to come
to North Shore Towers? We’re glad she did,
because among other things, Karen Perry has
been a co-leader of our successful NST Art
Shows and recently took over the management
of our Art Studio. As soon as the pandemic
restrictions are eased, the Art Studio
will flourish again. Read on to find out more.
Karen works her art
4 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ November 2020