Art League of Long Island closed for at least 4 weeks due to flooding from recent deluge
Flood damage from last week's torrential rain at the Art League of Long Island in Dix Hills on Friday. Credit: Rick Kopstein
Last week's epic rainstorm, which left a path of destruction across much of Long Island, caused major damage to one of the region's premier art institutions.
The heavy rains that fell on Sept. 29 caused massive flooding inside the Art League of Long Island's two-story office on East Deer Park Road in Dix Hills, forcing the closure of the building — including all exhibits, programs and classes — for at least four more weeks, Marianne Della Croce, the nonprofit's executive director, said on Friday.
The gallery, studios, hallways and office space, Della Croce said, sustained significant damage to floors and walls. No artwork, however, was damaged, she said.
"We contacted a mitigation company to begin removing all the wet parts of the walls and our floors," Della Croce said. "And right now we're still in the process of doing that. From there, we'll have to reconstruct the building. And it's a great opportunity for us to provide a brand-new Art League to the artists on Long Island when we reopen."
The cost of the flooding damage, she said, has not been calculated but the Art League, a visual education center founded in 1955, hopes insurance will cover the bulk of the expenses. The group also is hoping for donations from the community.
The Long Island Craft Guild was scheduled to hold a monthlong exhibition at the Art League called "Seeing the Other," featuring the work of local artists, beginning the day after the storm, said Nancy Yoshii, the group's vice president.
Instead, on Friday, Craft Guild staff began picking up their pieces, including glass mosaics, sculptures, wood designs and pottery, none of which sustained any water damage, she said.
"We plan this eight to 10 months in advance as we have to reserve the gallery space," Yoshii said, adding that the Art League offered the group gallery space in 2025 although they've yet to decide how to proceed. "It's just one of those things."
A Latin Heritage Month program at the Art League, scheduled for later this month, has been postponed, Della Croce said.
This is not the first time that the Art League has faced major operational challenges.
More than three years ago, the nonprofit put its headquarters on the market after being forced to close in March 2020 during the COVID-19 shutdown. Revenue, the bulk of which came from tuition — the rest from donations, memberships, exhibition and gallery rentals — soon dried up.
But local fundraising efforts generated more than $100,000 in donations, which along with a pair of federal Paycheck Protection Program loans totaling almost $230,000 helped push the Art League back from the financial brink.
Della Croce said restoring the Dix Hills building this time should not be as difficult a challenge.
"COVID was a catastrophic event for all of the arts and cultural organizations on Long Island," she said. "But we were able to pull through and I am extremely optimistic that we will pull through here as well."
Last week's epic rainstorm, which left a path of destruction across much of Long Island, caused major damage to one of the region's premier art institutions.
The heavy rains that fell on Sept. 29 caused massive flooding inside the Art League of Long Island's two-story office on East Deer Park Road in Dix Hills, forcing the closure of the building — including all exhibits, programs and classes — for at least four more weeks, Marianne Della Croce, the nonprofit's executive director, said on Friday.
The gallery, studios, hallways and office space, Della Croce said, sustained significant damage to floors and walls. No artwork, however, was damaged, she said.
"We contacted a mitigation company to begin removing all the wet parts of the walls and our floors," Della Croce said. "And right now we're still in the process of doing that. From there, we'll have to reconstruct the building. And it's a great opportunity for us to provide a brand-new Art League to the artists on Long Island when we reopen."
The cost of the flooding damage, she said, has not been calculated but the Art League, a visual education center founded in 1955, hopes insurance will cover the bulk of the expenses. The group also is hoping for donations from the community.
The Long Island Craft Guild was scheduled to hold a monthlong exhibition at the Art League called "Seeing the Other," featuring the work of local artists, beginning the day after the storm, said Nancy Yoshii, the group's vice president.
Instead, on Friday, Craft Guild staff began picking up their pieces, including glass mosaics, sculptures, wood designs and pottery, none of which sustained any water damage, she said.
"We plan this eight to 10 months in advance as we have to reserve the gallery space," Yoshii said, adding that the Art League offered the group gallery space in 2025 although they've yet to decide how to proceed. "It's just one of those things."
A Latin Heritage Month program at the Art League, scheduled for later this month, has been postponed, Della Croce said.
This is not the first time that the Art League has faced major operational challenges.
More than three years ago, the nonprofit put its headquarters on the market after being forced to close in March 2020 during the COVID-19 shutdown. Revenue, the bulk of which came from tuition — the rest from donations, memberships, exhibition and gallery rentals — soon dried up.
But local fundraising efforts generated more than $100,000 in donations, which along with a pair of federal Paycheck Protection Program loans totaling almost $230,000 helped push the Art League back from the financial brink.
Della Croce said restoring the Dix Hills building this time should not be as difficult a challenge.
"COVID was a catastrophic event for all of the arts and cultural organizations on Long Island," she said. "But we were able to pull through and I am extremely optimistic that we will pull through here as well."
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
