Galapagos Art Space NOT closing
Somehow, I missed the rumor that Galapagos was on the verge of being sold (and turned into condos, naturally). Luckily, Brooklyn Vegan was able to put this bit of gossip to rest (for now). Here’s a letter they received from Director Robert Elmes:
Galapagos Art Space isnt closing; the rumor is just a rumor, like the ‘supervenue’ rumor in October.
But cultural infrastructure is evaporating in our white-hot real estate market. If a pier in Red Hook, not even the one with the best view, sells for forty million dollars, and a parcel of land in Greenpoint can fetch one hundred and forty million, then it will become increasingly difficult, desperate by some accounts, for artists to maintain a meaningful presence in our city.
The real estate rumors that swirl around the arts are evidence of a community under great stress, wondering where it should go and fearful of how it will get there.
Robert Elmes
Director Galapagos Art Space
There you have it. Just because Galapagos isn’t shuttering doesn’t mean the real estate vultures aren’t circling. And so it goes these days, in the constant battle between arts venues and developers.