The Hunters Point Shipyard Artist Community is the largest artist collective in the country. The Shipyard is now part of a very large development. In an unprecedented agreement, the artists were protected. For artists who will lose their spaces due to the development, replacement studio space is required. A new artist building was under construction for this purpose.
In 2018, as a result of the fraudulent radiation testing at the Shipyard, all construction was shut down, including the new artist building. The construction site, located in front of the largest artist studio building, was fenced off and abandoned.
Fallout for the Artists: Two large dirt piles, debris and standing water covered in green slime. The whole construction site is dirt. When the wind blows, and the Shipyard is windy, the dirt and dust blows right into artists’ studios. Artists cannot open their windows for fresh air or ventilation. Fencing was erected to block access and parking. People with mobility issues must park nearly a block away from the accessibility ramp.
The artists have lived with these blighted conditions for close to three years. STAR has repeatedly asked developer Five Point to move the large dirt piles, clean up the area, remove the unnecessary fencing, install blacktop to reduce the dust and to allow parking closer to the building and the accessibility ramp. Our pleas fall on deaf ears.
“Enough is Enough,” says Barbara Ockel, President/CEO of STAR. “The blighted conditions have led to a decrease of visitors by 50% during the important Open Studios events we host three times a year. The pandemic has further devastated our artists’ businesses. The landscape around our building needs serious improvement for the artists to be able to sell work and teach art classes in their studios.”