Either you know or you not old enough to know
I met the artist Carl D’Alvia in the 1970s. We were separated by one year in middle school, which is like 10 years in adulthood. But we came to know each other while playing baseball with J & S Taxi. I was the only left-handed catcher in the league (a future post on this is coming), and Carl was the best pitcher on the team.
My visual memories of that team were Coach Sarcone’s Fourth of July-themed checkered pants and Carl’s red sneakers and long hair (foreshadowing his artistic self).
I look off into the horizon, a daydreamer even then.
I went off to a different high school the following year, and Carl stayed at the local one in Croton-on-Hudson. I circled back to Croton for Junior and Senior year but can’t remember spending any time with Carl.
25+ years later, I ran into Carl in the Meatpacking district where he lived with his wife and daughter. Both were artists, meeting years earlier at RISD. I thought it would be fun to curate an exhibition together. He had an idea to work with artists from our home town and nearby areas.
Townie opened on March 25th, 2010. At the opening, we had a keg and played Neil Young’s Decades. In fact, Carl insisted that we play Neil Young throughout the run of the show. I complied.
Wishing I had a picture of my fondest memory of the event…Roberta Smith (NYT, critic) and Jerry Saltz (New York Magazine, critic) in the keg line with red solo cups.
What you may not know (unless you’re old enough) is that relationships, real relationships, not virtual ones, have a way of coming back into your life. Trust me, when I squatted behind the home place in 1977 to receive Carl’s pitch, I didn’t know what art was, let alone curating. Sometimes friendships diverge only to meet up again when they are ready for a second chapter. Carl and I had just that.
It’s easy to let relationships fade, but professionally, you really can’t afford that. For two ‘Townies’ to reconnect after so many years, felt natural. Trying to reconnect professionally with someone is harder if you let too much time pass. Stay connected and close to your professional contacts. Surprising collaborations may happen.
Michael Foley opened his gallery in 2004 after fourteen years of working with notable photography galleries, including Fraenkel Gallery, Howard Greenberg Gallery, and Yancey Richardson Gallery.
In 2002, Foley continued his interest in educating and working with artists by serving on the School of Visual Arts and International Center of Photography faculty. He currently teaches and lectures on contemporary photography issues at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
In 2020, he founded The Photo Community, which offers classes and commentary on contemporary photography.
Foley lives and works on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.