By Brianna Adkins
Lindsay Varzarevsky, Olivia Winter, and Michele O’Kane are not your typical college freshman. The New Jersey and New York State natives are focused on their studies, but hitting the books at Pace University isn’t the only thing on their agendas. The group of first-year students created a New York City gallery collective to showcase young artists’ various forms of artwork and inspiration titled, People You Know.
People You Know has become widely popular within the NYC college community. The group has encouraged the community to come together and appreciate numerous forms of art, but the idea for the gallery collective didn’t appear from thin air.
According to the group, the concept for People You Know grew after the group attended a fashion week event hosted by The Break.
“We were inspired by how unconventional it was; there was accessibility for everyone to attend, even if you weren’t a fashion professional,” the group explains. “Especially in NYC, unless you know someone, it’s…hard to feel like you’re a part of something.”
“Especially in NYC, unless you know someone, it’s…hard to feel like you’re a part of something.”
According to the group, the unexpected informality of the event broke down the expectations of what a NYC fashion event would feel like. The lack of formality created a sense of comfort that lost a social hierarchy.
At the event, “there [was] a multitude of vendors and artists, and what spoke to us most was the inclusivity and how much fun everyone was having,” People You Know explains. “It was a safe space for everyone, and by the end of the night we had tons of pictures and tons of memories.”
Those ideas and memories got the group of innovative freshmen thinking. As the event stuck to their minds for a few weeks after attending, People You Know started to become more of a plan of action instead of a dream.
“It started one day in our shared suite,” they share. “Michele came out of the shower…and emerged with the thought: ‘I wish we could just have a space where young artists could show their works.’ Lindsay, having once showed her work at a show featuring other young artists, immediately replied with ‘let’s do it!’ Olivia overheard the conversation and ran in, saying ‘guys we could like actually do this.’”
At that moment, People You Know came to life.
“Then and there, we dropped what we were doing and brought nothing but a notebook to sit on a dock at Seaport for two hours straight. We brainstormed every idea we could come up with to make it work; what we wanted it to look like, what art would be shown, how we would advertise it, and who would be a part of it,” they explained.
That’s when the group came up with the name of their collective. The artists that attended and showcased their work at their collective gallery were all people that they met within two months of living in the city. Since they felt that feeling of comfort with familiar artists, they wanted those in attendance to feel at ease.
According to People You Know, the goal was similar to the New York Fashion Week event that the group attended. They wanted to “revolutionize the preconceived idea of what a typical art gallery entails."
“As much as we love New York City, we were really frustrated with the notion of ‘you have to be somebody’ in order to feel included,” they note. “So, we decided to create an event where the social hierarchy was challenged. We wanted to spread the message that young artists shouldn’t have to bend over backward to be able to get the necessary exposure that they deserve.”
"...we decided to create an event where the social hierarchy was challenged. We wanted to spread the message that young artists shouldn’t have to bend over backward to be able to get the necessary exposure that they deserve.”
People You Know explains that their message was all about making it “easier for young artists to have a voice.” The next step was all about encouraging them to use their voice by showcasing their artwork at their collective gallery.
They explain that their first event was much more successful than they anticipated: “We were overwhelmed by the amount of immediate support that we received from everyone around us throughout the entire process. Without the amazing people surrounding us, we strongly believe that this concept would have never worked.”
The show, which took place in Brooklyn, featured an array of works from over 12 artists. Artistic forms of photography, fashion, poetry, and film were displayed for the eyes of over 200 individuals who came to support the event. This meant major sales for the artists who had the opportunity to sell their work.
“For some of the artists, this was their first time showing their work to such a public setting, and we were honored to be able to have given them that experience,” they state.
The group notes that the experience was made to be as interactive as possible. Dancing and discussions with the artists were encouraged.
“It was everything we could have imagined it to be. The feedback we received by both the artists and our guests only supported the idea that we needed to do it all again, and volume II was in the works by the very next day,” they explain.
“This installment of the show...focuses around a theme of romance and the way that each artist would choose to interpret it,” they note. “This time, we wanted to include many more artists that came from schools all over the city, not just Pace [University].”
After learning a ton from their first show, they began working on integrating everything they learned that was successful from the first time around. According to the group, this show will be “new and improved,” showing that their persistence towards positive change will only grow.
“Now we are showcasing 30+ artists, including a tattoo artist (with a themed flash sheet!) and live portrait artist, like how we had at our last show,” they excitedly note. “We hope that people will want to come out to support these young artists, to be a part of our vision, and to overall have a memorable night.”
“We hope that people will want to come out to support these young artists, to be a part of our vision, and to overall have a memorable night.”
As for what’s in the future of People You Know, they’re not sure. But that is in no way an issue for the team that hustles no matter what.
“Honestly, we have no idea what’s in store, but we think that that’s the best part about it,” they explain. “The whole idea started on a whim, and the fact that we’ve gotten so far with it already fills us with excitement for what the future holds.”
The group explains that the three of them are just “college freshman trying to make the most of [their] time” in the bustling borough of Manhattan.
“With each and every learning experience, we only hope to make each future show bigger and better, including having as many artists as possible. Who knows where our endeavors will take us, but we definitely hope to keep this vision alive for as long as possible.”
People You Know will continue to keep their vision alive through the emergence of their exciting and engaging events. People You Know vol. II will hold their “night of love, romance, and appreciation for young artists” on Friday, April 5th from 8 pm to 12 am in Nolita. Snag your ticket before they run out!
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Who are the people behind People You Know?
Lindsay Varzarevsky is a Manalapan, New Jersey native studying International Business Management at Pace University. The freshman can be found at @lindsayvarzz on Instagram. Olivia Winter is also a Manalapan, New Jersey native. The first year student is studying Arts and Entertainment Management at Pace University. Olivia can be found at @olivathelibra on Instagram. Michele O’Kane is a Commack, New York native studying Art at Pace University. The freshman can be found at @micheleokane on Instagram.