Lower East Side Love Letters Written in Art and Brick

On a block better known for laundromats than art openings, KATES-FERRI PROJECTS quietly reshapes the Lower East Side’s creative map. The gallery’s founders, Natalie Kates and Fabrizio Ferri, first bonded over street art and Basquiat documentaries, eventually turning their shared passion into a neighborhood hub for contemporary artists. Their story is stitched into the fabric of the area: from pandemic-era artist residencies in borrowed spaces to a brick-and-mortar gallery that welcomes both local neighbors and international talent. Artists here explore themes of migration, memory, and identity—like ceramics shaped as airplane windows or wall pieces crafted from Buenos Aires laundromat fabrics—mirroring the neighborhood’s own layered immigrant histories. By bridging global perspectives with local roots, Kates and Ferri foster a sense of belonging that’s rare in the city’s fast-changing art scene. Their expansion signals not just growth, but a deeper commitment to keeping art accessible, neighborly, and always in motion. In a city of constant reinvention, this gallery proves that home can be both a place and a practice. #LowerEastSide #ContemporaryArt #ArtCommunity #Culture