BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Westbeth - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://westbeth.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Westbeth
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20220313T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20221106T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20230312T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20231105T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20240310T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20241103T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20270314T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20271107T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260206T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260222T180000
DTSTAMP:20260423T022352
CREATED:20251223T043416Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260223T185033Z
UID:10000934-1770382800-1771783200@westbeth.org
SUMMARY:Breathe New York Artists Circle Exhibit. Video Interviews with Two Artists \, Plus see show online.
DESCRIPTION:MARIANNE BARCELLONA – ABOUT THE WORK\na To activtate subtitles click on the double “cc box” at the bottom of the screen \n \nGWYNETH LEECH – ABOUT THE WORK\nTo activate subtitles click on the double “cc box” at the bottom of the screen \n\n \n  \nCHECK OUT THE SHOW ONLINE AT NEW YORK  ARTISTS CIRCLE HERE. But always better in person too! \nAn Exhibition by the New York Artists Circle\nCurated by Hayley Ferber • Assistant Curator Kristin Reed\nFebruary 6–22\, 2026 \nWestbeth Gallery\n155 Bank Street\n(Enter through courtyard)\nNew York\, NY 10014 \nOpening Reception • Friday\, February 6\, 5–8 PM \nIn a world that feels increasingly overstimulated and demanding\, Breathe offers a space for serenity. Featuring work by members of the New York Artists Circle\, the exhibition explores breath not only as a fundamental human necessity\, but as an invitation to pause\, recenter and find calm. The artists approach this theme from multiple perspectives. Some focus on the physical act of breathing—its rhythm\, vulnerability\, and sustaining force—while others employ breath as a metaphor for stillness\, resilience\, clarity\, and the act of claiming space in an often overwhelming world. Together\, these works invite viewers to step away from the noise\, take a deep breath\, and reconnect with a sense of peace\, presence\, and inner balance. \nBreathe will be presented both in person at Westbeth Gallery and online on the New York Artists Circle website.\nThe in-person exhibition includes an opening reception and a public artist talk. \nFeatured Artists: Anne Finkelstein • Avani Patel • Barbara Lubliner • Barbara Slitkin • Barbara Swanson Sherman •Beth Barry • Cade Pemberton • Carol Paik • Cecilia André • Charles Seplowin • Cheryl Aden • Christina Maile •Colleen Deery • D Ardelean • Danielle Warren • Darcy Alison Spitz • David Alon Friedman • Diana Jensen • Eileen Hoffman • Eleanor Goldstein • Elisa Decker • Ellen Alt • Emily Barnett • Fran Beallor Gabriela Gasparini Bornstein •Gale Rothstein • Gosha Karpowicz • Laurey Bennet-Levy Gwyneth Leech • Helaine Soller • Jacqueline Sferra • RadaJanet Goldner • Janet Morgan • Janice McDonnell • January Yoon Cho • Joanne Steinhardt • Jocelyn Benford •Joyce Raimondo Judith Kruger • Kristin Reed • Linda Ganjian • Linda Stillman • Linda Turner • Lois Bender • Lori Horowitz • Lynne Friedman • Marianne Barcellona • Meenal Raghava • Nicole Cooper • Pearl Rosen Golden • RoniSherman Ramos • Ryan Bauer-Walsh • Sandra Taggart Stephen Cox • Susan Grucci • SuZen • Syma • Tiziana Mazzioto • Wendy L. Moss • Yvonne Lamar-Rogers \nExhibition Details: \nLocation: Westbeth Gallery\, 55 Bethune St (Main entrance to Westbeth) \, New York\, NY 10014\nGallery Hours: Wednesday to Sunday 1–6 pm\nDates: February 6–22\, 2026\nOpening Reception: Friday\, February 6\, 5–8 PM\nArtist Talk and Closing Reception: Sunday February 22\, 3-5pm \nOnline Exhibition:https://nyartistscircle.com \nMedia Contact: Janice McDonnell janice@janicemcdonnell.com
URL:https://westbeth.org/event/breathe-new-york-artists-circle-exhibit/
LOCATION:Westbeth Gallery
CATEGORIES:past-events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://westbeth.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Breathe_1080_x_1080.png
GEO:40.737051566887;-74.009218415339
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251212T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260131T170000
DTSTAMP:20260423T022352
CREATED:20251212T231206Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260202T162522Z
UID:10000929-1765526400-1769878800@westbeth.org
SUMMARY:Video of "Stories Around the Table" Filmed Oct 28\, 2025
DESCRIPTION:(For close captioning\, click  the rectangle with the double CC’s  at the  Vimeo menu line) \n\n \n“I started this group many years ago when we were worried about getting old. I said ‘let’s write about it.’ We were 40.\nWe used to meet at Shami Chaikin’s apartment\, sitting around her table. Now 40 years later\, we meet on zoom.”\n– Karen Ludwig  \nCurrent Members \nKaren Ludwig’s numerous Broadway credits include Neil Simon’s BROADWAY BOUND\, and THE DEVILS with Anne Bancroft. She appeared in many Off-Broadway performances at The Public Theater and was a member of Andre Gregory’s Manhattan Project. She was in the world premiere of MOONCHILDREN at The Royal Court in London as well as playing Lady McDuff in MACBETH at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.Karen Ludwig produced and directed UTA HAGEN’S ACTING CLASS; a compelling DVD of her incomparable teacher conducting Master Acting Classes UTAHAGENVIDEO.com. Ms. Ludwig has directed plays for the Theater for the New City\, NYU School of the Arts\, Ensemble Studio Theater\, Circle Rep\, and The HB Playwrights. On TV she is a LAW and ORDER veteran and many other shows. She conducted an acclaimed interview series ABOUT THE WORK with prominent theater people at the New School for Drama where she also taught for many years.\nhttp://karenludwig.com/#actor \nJoan Hall Known for her artwork\, Joan Hall’s collages and assemblages havebeen exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide\, including theCentre Georges Pompidou in Paris\, and the Museo Rufino Tamayo inMexico. She is a winner of the Miriam Chaikin Foundation 2018 awardfor her poetry. Joan’s poetry and collage books\, Journey to Somewhere\,Behind My Mind\, and Rhyme Time are available on Amazon. Joan hasbeen a resident of Westbeth since 1971.\nhttps://www.joanhallcollage.com \nDawn D/Arcy is a writer\, actor and musician notably\, as well as relevantly\, having played bass in fellow writer Diane Spodarek’s Detroit punk band The Dangerous Diane Band. She worked at The Actors Studio with director John Stix as well as with actor/director Estelle Parsons on Yeats translation of Oedipus starring Al Pacino and Dianne Wiest. She is the very proud grandma of Etta Rose and is never\, ever unaware of how lucky and grateful she is to write\, co-create and perform with Karen Ludwig and this brilliant group of artists for the past 20+ years. \nDiane Spodarek is a Canadian American writer and a recipient of artist fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts. \nJoyce Aaron Oboe winner for Acting in a play Acrobatics co written by Luna Tarlo. Original member of The Open Theater\, directed by Joseph Chaikin. Premiered America Hurrah by Jean Claude Van Itallie in New York and at The Royal Court Theater in London. Lived and worked with Sam Shepard on many of his early plays. \nDale Soules is an American actress known for starring in The Messenger\, Sesame Street\, and for portraying Frieda Berlin in Orange Is the New Black from 2014 to 2019. She appeared in the original production of Hair in the role of Jeannie. \n\nPast Members \nShami Chaikin Obie-award winning actress\, Shami Chaikin was a member of the legendary Open Theater under the direction of Joe Chaikin. She appeared in their seminal productions of The Serpent\, Terminal\, Mutation Show\, and more. Her theatrical appearances also include working with with Andre Serban\, and Elizabeth Swados and Meredith Monk at the New York Shakespeare Festival\, among other venues. In film\, she has acted under the direction of Michaelangelo Antonioni\, James Ivory and Alan Parker\, and has appeared in numerous TV shows\, including Law and Order. \nNancy Gabor is a director and acting teacher.She directed Joseph Chaikin in ‘The War In Heaven\,’and ‘Struck Dumb\,’ staged readings\, as he was recovering from Aphasia at the American Place Theater. She was an actor in The Open Theater and participated in the creation of ‘The Serpent.’\nAmong her many credits:‘The Three Sisters\,’ at Princeton where she was an associate acting professor. Nancy taught and directed at the Amsterdam Theater School in the Netherlands for twenty years.\nAlong with Paul Binnerts\, she conducts an acting workshop at Westbeth\, ‘You’re Never Too Old To Play.’ \nChristina Maile\nHer work reflecting her West Indian and Dayak heritage\, she has received grants from Pollock-Krasner and Joan Mitchell Foundation\, as well as two Miriam Chaikin Foundation Writing Awards. Her landscape architectural work was featured in Garden Design Magazine. She was the co-founder playwright of the Westbeth Playwrights Feminist Collective. christinamaile.com
URL:https://westbeth.org/event/video-of-stories-around-the-table-filmed-oct-28-2025/
LOCATION:Online
CATEGORIES:past-events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://westbeth.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Karen-Ludwig-wesite-Home-stories-around-ta.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250501T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250501T130000
DTSTAMP:20260423T022352
CREATED:20250411T175103Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250501T205344Z
UID:10000755-1746090000-1746104400@westbeth.org
SUMMARY:Working Class Artists  in America Forum  Christina Maile participant
DESCRIPTION:Thursday May 1\, 2025\n9am – 1pm 	\n\nFrederick Loewe Theater\nHunter College\n930 Lexington Ave\nNew York\, NY 10065\n\n\n\nA groundbreaking forum on working class artists in America\, with participants including Pulitzer Prize-winner Stephen Adly Guirgis\, Olivier-winning playwright James Graham\, NY State Senator Jabari Brisport\, Creatives Rebuild NY Director Sarah Calderón\, and MSNBC senior economic and business correspondent Ali Velshi\, Amy Goodman Democracy Now host \, Christina Maile of Westbeth and many more. \nThe forum will explore barriers faced by artists from working class backgrounds\, addressing their critical lack of represetnation in the arts and proposing solutions towards a more econimically inclusive culture that reflects the full breadth of the American experience in the twenty-first century.  \nWe invite you to the forum\, which we believe will be the first of its kind. \nReserve here: https://workingclassartists.splashthat.com \nClick Image to enlarge
URL:https://westbeth.org/event/working-class-artists-in-america-forum-christina-maile-participant/
LOCATION:Frederick Loewe Theater at Hunter College\, NYC
CATEGORIES:past-events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://westbeth.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Screenshot-2025-04-11-at-12.44.08-PM.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250405T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250420T180000
DTSTAMP:20260423T022352
CREATED:20250223T150749Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250425T234905Z
UID:10000732-1743858000-1745172000@westbeth.org
SUMMARY:MANIFEST IMAGES: Printmakers ShowJebah Baum\, Daniel Berlin\, Cathy Cone\, Dale Emmart\, Gwen Fabricant\, Jonathan Fabricant\, Christina Maile\, Claire Rosenfeld
DESCRIPTION:ENCAUSTIC PRINTMAKING – EXPLANATION BY CLAIRE ROSENFELD\n\n \nLITHOGRAPHY DEMO WITH JEBAH BAUM\n\n \nPHOTOGRAPHS by ELLA BAUM OF APRIL 5\, 2025 OPENING OF MANIFEST IMAGES PLUS AN INSTALLATION VIDEO.\n\n\nCYANOTYPE DEMO WITH CHRISTINA MAILE\n\nscript src=”https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js”> \nApril 5 – April 20\, 2025\nOpening Reception Saturday April 5\, 6-8 pm \nWestbeth Gallery\n55 Bethune Street\, New York\, NY 10014\nGallery Hours: Wed-Sun\, 1- 6pm \nFeatured Artists: Jebah Baum\, Daniel Berlin\, Cathy Cone\, Dale Emmart\, Gwen Fabricant\,\nJonathan Fabricant\, Christina Maile\, Claire Rosenfeld \n____________________________________________________________________________\nIn printmaking there is always an intermediate step\, a gestational period during which an image is filtered through a process and intervened uponThe act of making prints is to repeatedly bear witness and experience the coinciding. manifestations of intention and imagination.The images printmakers create are declarations of arrival! With each new impression they announce themselves and reflect the various methods by which they are made. \nManifest Images is a group show with works by eight mid-career artists for whom printmaking is a vital part of their studio practice. This exhibition celebrates the breadth of printmaking media and some of the myriad ways that artists harness them to produce their work.The artists in this exhibit are unified in their efforts to expand the field of contemporary printmaking through personal experimentation and creative exploration.Printmaking\, like photography\, quickly evolved from its egalitarian origins as a method of reproduction and fine artists have enthusiastically embraced it for its unique expressive possibilities.\nSeveral artists in this exhibition use printmaking techniques to create monoprints in oil or encaustics\, or include collaged\, digitally printed elements within their painted surfaces.Some exploit the raw physicality of applying inks to paper under pressure via lithographic\, wood or linoleum matrices\, while others extract the finest detail from sensitized gravure plates to produce images with extraordinary tonal range. \nClick images to enlarge \nDaniel Berlinmonoprint \n Daniel Berlin My monotypes are executed in several passes through the press\, building up layers as I go. When I’m working on these prints\, I try to check-in and do a little sweeping out of preconceptions. A buoyant beginner’s mind emerges and a freshness that emphasizes direct experience. In this exhibit I am presenting several groupings of monotypes\, starting with those printed at Bud Shark’s Lithography in Colorado to those made recently at the Women’s Studio Workshop in Rosendale\, NY. \n \n  \nCathy Conephotogravure \nCathy Cone My practice of making and developing the printed image is activated by its materiality. I’m interested in the various states of inked matrices and their combinations and intersections in the pursuit of form. Photography guides me to a deeper understanding as I celebrate the possibility of transformation through the exploration of the printing plate\, digital file\, or negative\, leading towards a new situation. \n  \nJonathan Fabricantrelief print \nJonathan Fabricant In my prints I utilize grids\, geometric shapes\, patterns\, directional movement\, color\, and figure ground relationships. I work with the static matrix of the carved block\, pushing against repetition to create a series of unique images. I am drawn to relief printing because it has an inherent imprecision and funkiness which gives my geometric shapes character and room to breathe. \n  \nJebah Baum “Landscape” lithograph \nJebah Baum  My lithographs are hand printed from multiple polyester plates with oil based inks on an American French Tool etching press. The plates are relatively inexpensive\, which allows me the freedom to work directly in a painterly manner. I begin with sketches and develop ideas in reaction to the unfolding visual narratives that emerge before me. My images are thus spontaneous\, gestural and expressive. Their horizontality evokes themes of landscape and a quality of restrained expansiveness. \n  \nChristina Maile “Grandmother’s Gods”cyanotype \nChristina Maile Cyanotype is a photographic printing process that creates blue tinted images by drawing with light and shadow. In preparing for this exhibit I realized that it might be capable of perfectly manifesting the non-visible and imaginary world into which recent experience had thrust me. I also feel strongly about the external world and will contrast these more personal images with giclee collages of war and desolation. \n  \nGwen Fabricant “Fern”inkjet print and collage \nGwen FabricantIn the works for this exhibition\, I have juxtaposed a mechanical form of reproduction with an intensely handmade one. Physical organic material is collaged over laser-printed images of plants I placed on a scanner and photographed. These are very different processes\, but both are ways of exploring the physical reality of our earthly nature and its visual expression. \nDale Emmart relief print artist book \nDale Emmart My works in this exhibition are relief prints made with a straightforward reduction technique\, generating pages for the scroll\, accordion\, and larger stab binding book forms. Unlike the fine craft of printmaking with accurate registration of color plates and controlled crisp edges\, the prints in these works are blunt\, hand-rubbed\, overlapped\, and more gestural than graphic. Closer to drawing\, the mishaps and unexpected artifacts of ink residue on intended figure-ground relationships construct these prints and book objects. \nClaire Rosenfeld ink and encaustic monotype collage \nClaire Rosenfeld I work in both ink and encaustic monotypes\, sometimes painting into the prints\, or collaging parts of them with drawings or watercolor images. By exploring nature in transition and the relationship of figures\, still\, moving and gesturing within the landscape\, I attempt to evoke a sense of mystery in familiar settings.
URL:https://westbeth.org/event/manifest-images-printmakers-showjebah-baum-daniel-berlin-cathy-cone-dale-emmart-gwen-fabricant-jonathan-fabricant-christina-maile-claire-rosenfeld/
LOCATION:Westbeth Gallery
CATEGORIES:past-events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://westbeth.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MANIFEST-SQ-IMAGES-WITH-CATHY-CONE.jpg
GEO:40.737051566887;-74.009218415339
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250203
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250428
DTSTAMP:20260423T022352
CREATED:20250203T212119Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250320T151825Z
UID:10000718-1738540800-1745798399@westbeth.org
SUMMARY:WESTBETH GETS A MUCH NEEDED\, AND PRICEY\, OVERHAUL
DESCRIPTION:NY Times article on the major renovations coming up at Westbeth \n \nAnna Kodé reported this story from Westbeth artists’ community.\nNY Times\nFeb. 3\, 2025 \nIn New York\, an artist’s ability to create work is often directly linked to their ability to secure affordable housing. In a city where the median rent was $4\,295 in December\, according to Redfin\, that can seem impossible. \nFor decades\, a small group of the city’s creative class hasn’t had to worry too much about the rising market-rate rent. The nonprofit Westbeth Artists Housing community\, with 384 rent-stabilized and Section 8 units\, has been an affordable haven for artists since 1970. Occupying an entire city block at the western edge of the West Village\, it also comprises commercial spaces\, artist studios and a gallery where residents show their work. Rents typically run from around $900 for a studio apartment to $1\,400 for a three-bedroom. Many notable artists and performers have called it home\, including Robert De Niro Sr.\, Paul Benjamin\, Vin Diesel and Diane Arbus\, who committed suicide there i \n“It eased the pressure of having to make a living\,” said Roger Braimon\, 57\, a painter\, who was still paying off debt from graduate school when he moved into Westbeth. Mr. Braimon first applied to join the community in 1995\, but didn’t get a spot until 2009. “There was always this belief that Westbeth was this utopia of artists\, and living in New York was so amazing\, but the affordability is looming\,” he said. \nThe wait list to get an apartment at Westbeth is notorious\, with more than 460 people currently eager to snag a spot. Many residents never leave\, making vacancies especially rare. (The wait list is currently closed\, having last been open in 2019.) \nBut if the community is utopian\, the structure itself less so. Elevators frequently get stuck and are unreliable. The roof has been leaking intensely. The wooden window frames have been deteriorating. To address these issues and future-proof the building\, the complex is undergoing its first major renovation since it opened 55 years ago. In October\, work began on an $84 million overhaul\, which will also include facade work and the addition of a green roof. And 32 apartments\, which have been void of tenants and left in disrepair\, will be gut renovated\, making room for some lucky artists to get off the wait list. \n‘Nobody Wanted to Move Here’ \n\nFrom 1898 to 1966\, the site was home to Bell Laboratories\, the company that created the technology behind talking movies and the transistor. It was then redeveloped into the artists’ sanctuary\, with renovations by the architect Richard Meier and funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. The project\, which The Times reported cost $13 million\, gained the support of several prominent New Yorkers\, including the urban activist Jane Jacobs and the mayor at the time\, John V. Lindsay. \n \nBut attracting residents in the beginning was somewhat of a struggle. “Nobody wanted to move here. It was in a totally out-of-the-way area\,” said Christina Maile\, an 80-year-old visual artist who had been living on the Lower East Side before being accepted to join Westbeth as a resident in 1970.\nThe neighborhood seemed “extremely quiet and kind of boring\,” she said. But the rent\, around $165 for a two-bedroom\, and the nearby meat market persuaded her. Ms. Maile has been at Westbeth ever since\, raising two children there along the way. In those early days\, she recalled\, a group of mothers got together to create a rotating day care: “We all took care of each other’s kids so that the parents could do their art.” \n\nThe community also took Ms. Maile’s career in unpredictable directions. When residents formed a feminist playwriting group\, she joined and became interested in stage design\, inspiring her to practice as a landscape architect. And more recently\, after she wandered around one of the buildings and discovered that the printmaking studio was empty\, she took up printmaking. “The maintenance man probably forgot to lock it\,” she said. “There was all this equipment — paper\, inks — covered in dust. It was so amazing.” \nThe collaborative lifestyle took intentional effort to foster. There were aspects of the complex’s design that weren’t conducive to community building\, Ms. Maile said\, like its long hallways. “There’s a lot of places that actually don’t encourage people to be communal\,” she said. “The community wasn’t born right out of the sky.” \n\nToday\, much of Westbeth is unchanged from its early days\, and several of the original tenants\, like Ms. Maile\, remain. But what has notably changed is the demand to live there. Not anyone can join the wait list — you have to be a practicing artist and submit an essay about your work\, and your income must fall below a limit. In 2019\, the limits ranged from $69\,445 for a one-person household to $114\,950 for a six-person household. To keep your spot on the list\, you have to submit your tax returns and other documentation every year. \n“I kept dreaming of it and reapplying every year\,” said Mr. Braimon\, who got his 550-square-foot studio apartment after nearly 15 years on the wait list. \n\nOver the years\, Westbeth has endured disasters both natural and man-made. In the 1980s\, the community was $2.4 million behind on its mortgage\, prompting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to threaten foreclosure. And even back then it was in poor shape: As the Times reported in 1989\, “the building has deteriorated\, the rents have more than quadrupled\, and the tenants have not always been on friendly terms.”Then in 2012\, Hurricane Sandy “walloped” the complex\, said Peter Madden\, the executive director of the nonprofit that runs Westbeth. The devastating storm caused a flood in the basement that nearly reached the ceiling and destroyed decades’ worth of residents’ artwork. Of course\, the regular wear and tear that comes with being an artists’ colony has also taken its toll. \n“A lot of tenants are just so rough on the building\, like dragging stuff\, giant wood frames on a cart\, and they smack it against a wall and rip up metal\,” said Mr. Braimon. “It’s just terrible.” \nLead\, Asbestos and Flooding\n\n\nSome tenants say the renovations are long overdue\, and for some of the older residents\, the updates are especially necessary. But because of the complex’s landmark status\, needed work has been stalled in the past. The community is now trudging forward\, and must get approval from the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission for many of the changes\, making them costlier and more time-consuming. \nThe entire project is expected to be complete by 2028. Funding is coming from a mix of public and private sources\, including grants from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation\, the National Park Service and New York State\, as well as tax credits.\nThere are 684 wood-framed windows being replaced — to fit the original design\, they have to be custom-ordered\, Mr. Madden said. Each window\, made of solid mahogany\, costs over $20\,000. On the facade\, “we have this very distinctive yellowish brick\,” Mr. Madden said. Each one that needs to be replaced must also be custom fabricated. \nAnd perhaps to the dismay of those who’ve been eager to snag a unit\, dozens of apartments have been sitting empty of tenants. “Frequently\, our vacancies are due to the tenants passing away\,” Mr. Madden said. “When somebody has lived in an apartment since 1972\, we have to do a gut renovation\, we have to address lead paint and asbestos.” This overhaul has finally allowed for the budget to make those updates\, he added. \n\nAfter Hurricane Sandy\, a black line was painted in the basement to mark how high the floodwaters had reached. “It’s a constant reminder of how vulnerable the building is\,” said Ms. Maile. Features of the project are aimed at weatherproofing for the future\, including the installation of a green roof\, which means that Westbeth will get a canopy of vegetation. Rainwater will be “absorbed by the green roof and then will slowly go down the roof drains into the sewer\,” Mr. Madden explained. \nFor Ms. Maile\, the renovation is about more than just improving day-to-day life at Westbeth in the present. She hopes that it will “allow the building to exist into the next century\, so that people can still afford to be artists and live in New York.” \nFor link to this article\, click Here
URL:https://westbeth.org/event/westbeth-gets-a-much-needed-and-pricey-overhaul/
LOCATION:NY Times
CATEGORIES:past-events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://westbeth.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-03-at-12.24.19 PM.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231117T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231228T170000
DTSTAMP:20260423T022352
CREATED:20231031T030607Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231229T003024Z
UID:10000422-1700208000-1703782800@westbeth.org
SUMMARY:Westbeth Winter Show of Westbeth Visual Artists
DESCRIPTION:Postcards of the work exhibited in the Winter Show are now\, for the first time\, available for purchase at the Gallery. Here are some representative examples:\n\n\n\n		\n				\n						\n			\n								\n			\n		\n							\n			\n				\n						\n			\n								\n			\n		\n							\n			\n				\n						\n			\n								\n			\n		\n							\n			\n				\n						\n			\n								\n			\n		\n							\n			\n				\n						\n			\n								\n			\n		\n							\n			\n	\n	\n\n	\n		\n			\n\nClick to enlarge \nNov 17\, 2023 – Dec 28\, 2023\nOpening Reception: Friday Nov 17\, 2023 6pm – 8pm \nWestbeth Gallery\n55 Bethune Street\nNew York\, NY \nGallery Hours: Wed – Sunday 1pm – 6pm \nWestbeth Gallery is proud to present its annual year-end exhibition celebrating the work of Westbeth artists in painting\, sculpture\, printmaking\, mixed media\, public art\, installation\, photography\, video and film.
URL:https://westbeth.org/event/westbeth-winter-show-2-of-westbeth-visual-artists/
LOCATION:Westbeth Gallery
CATEGORIES:past-events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://westbeth.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/WinterShow_Poster2023_1-1_1080.jpg
GEO:40.737051566887;-74.009218415339
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR