UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A global health crisis can’t stop Upper East Siders from seeing their art. Or at least that’s what organizers of the neighborhood’s annual October Art Week are betting, with this year’s event set to begin on Friday.
Eight neighborhood galleries are participating in this year’s Art Week, which will be held from Oct. 9–18 with coronavirus safety protocols in place.
Gallery visits will be offered by appointment, and digital programming, including a Thursday Zoom panel about the challenges facing the art world, will be available on the event website.
Works on display at the eight galleries include Japanese prints, 19th and 20th century old master paintings and Mesoamerican objects, organizers said.
October Art Week began in 2016, aiming to spotlight pre-contemporary Upper East Side galleries. This year, the event has been moved to an earlier date to coincide with the fall auction schedule, including Christie’s Classic Art Week (Oct. 1-20) and an Oct. 14 Sotheby’s auction.

“During this time of upheaval, we look forward with optimism to our 5th edition of October Art Week,” directors Lydia Melamed Johnson and LeeAna Wolfman said in a statement.
“We believe this is a vital time to support our Upper East Side galleries, the vibrant local community, and New York’s art scene at large under the current circumstances of the pandemic.”
Here is the full list of galleries participating in October Art Week (reservations can be made at each gallery’s website):