Welfare Island Photo Exhibit Celebrating 40 Years of Roosevelt Island Reception Saturday Afternoon & An Evening Of Film & Performance

Image From Gallery RIVAA

The opening reception of " Welfare Island: A Spirit of Place Past" will take place this Saturday, January 9th beginning at 2 PM at the Octagon. This is a photography exhibition profiling the abandoned structures on the island prior to its development. The exhibit will be the kickoff event to the 40th anniversary of the ground lease signing for Roosevelt Island.

More information about this event is available from this previous post.

An exhibition of thirty-two photos is the first in a series of events that will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the signing of the 1969 agreement between the City of New York and the State of New York for the redevelopment of Welfare Island, as Roosevelt island was formerly called. The kick-off event, co-sponsored by The Roosevelt Island Historical Society and The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation of the State of New York, features photos taken before construction of a residential community on the Island had begun.

Despite their forbidding air of abandonment, the massive castle-like buildings of Welfare Island fascinated Suzanne Vlamis, compelling her to photograph these grotesquely beautiful structures. The photos of the old hospitals, asylum, labs and churches, taken by an adventurous young woman, were exhibited in 1972. Welfare Island: A Spirit of Place Past, includes these photos, as well as others never exhibited before. The show is at the Octagon Gallery, 888 Main Street on Roosevelt Island, from December 20 to January 31. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, January 9, from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m....

Later Saturday evening, Gallery RIVAA will be hosting:

An evening of film and performance at Gallery RIVAA, Saturday, Jan. 9th at 7:30 PM

Image From Gallery RIVAA