climate/gallery is dedicated to the presentation and promotion of contemporary visual art. The gallery provides opportunities for artists to exhibit their work within a context of current national and international practice uniting distinctive visions from varied ethnic and cultural contexts. The gallery welcomes all viewpoints for its exhibition schedule. We welcome artists who work in all mediums, including traditional and new medias, to participate in regularly scheduled shows and events. The gallery's mission is to provide an opportunity for artists to become an active member of the arts community of New York City, whether they are showing for the first time or the artist has years of exhibition experience. The gallery is located in the historic Scalamandre Silks Building in Long Island City, one of New York City's most vibrant arts neighborhoods. With magnificent views of the Manhattan skyline, the building houses art galleries and performing arts spaces and studios. Nearby are a number of museums including PS1, the Fisher Landau Center for Art, and the Sculpture Center. The greater neighborhood hosts diverse arts activities, a number of art galleries, restaurants and clubs, and riverfront attractions. climate/gallery is located on the same floor as Dutch Kills Gallery. The two galleries coordinate their show openings and events. Whitey Flagg and Herman James founded the gallery in the belief that artists find intrinsic value in the process of showing their work. Michelle Lefstein joined the gallery as a co-director with Flagg and James to develop the gallery's representation program. Michelle Lefstein has been working in the New York City art world for over a decade. During this time she has held positions at such prestigious galleries as Dillon Gallery, Luhring Augustine, Forum Gallery and Peter Freeman, Inc, as well as having worked with the international artist Arman. From these experiences Michelle has learned every aspect of running and maintaining a successful gallery. Michelle received a certificate in Arts Administration from NYU and is currently working on her thesis at Hunter College where she will receive an M.A. in Art History upon completion. Whitey Flagg is an artist and independent curator, and has also been a gallerist in Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, and Seattle. He was highly influential in the creation of the long running multi-media event Welcome to the Plastic Factory in Los Angeles, which fostered many young artists, musicians, DJs, and fashion designers. He was also one of the original founders of Ivy Paris which is still in existence today as a resource for expatriate artists in Paris. His work has been shown throughout the U.S. and the E.U. He maintains a studio in New York City. Herman James is an artist who has shown widely in the U.S. in such venues as the Museum of New Art in Detroit and the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, as well as in many venues in New York City including the Joyce Goldstein Gallery and the Monique Goldstrom Gallery. The artist has also shown in the E.U. including Berlin and Paris. His work is included in collections in New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, Paris, Munich, and elsewhere.