Join the Roosevelt Island Visual Art Association (RIVAA) for a discussion in conjunction with the current photographic exhibition, Roosevelt Island: The Vision Revisited. RIVAA brings together three distinguished panelists, who through their talent and remarkable efforts, have contributed to the beauty and quality of our built environment on Roosevelt Island.
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Cover Photo: Tad Sudol.
- Amanda Matthews is a sculptor and creator of The Girl Puzzle, a tribute to groundbreaking investigative journalist Nellie Bly. Through her reporting, Nelly Bly changed how mental illness was treated in this country.
- Gina Pollara, Executive Director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park from 2006-2013, oversaw the construction of the memorial designed by architect Louis I. Kahn to commemorate the 32nd President of the United States.
- Susan Rosenthal, President and CEO of Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) from 2016-2020, conceived the idea of a monument to Nelly Bly.
- Chris Vail, exhibiting photographer of Roosevelt Island: The Vision Revisited will moderate.
Some notes on the panelists…
Amanda Matthews brought international acclaim to Roosevelt Island with The Girl Puzzle. The sculpture adds to her long list of successful public artworks.
Four years after leaving her job at RIOC, Susan Rosenthal remains an important part of the legacy of art on Roosevelt Island. As CEO, she teamed with RIVAA, promoting and expanding the Island of Art theme. She left a lasting footprint on the community.
Gina Pollara designed and managed construction on a wide range of projects. From
2006 to 2013, she served as executive director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four
Freedoms Park, which constructed the memorial designed by the architect Louis I. Kahn on the southern tip of Roosevelt Island in New York City to commemorate the 32nd President of the United States. – Gina Pollara Biography
Still Searching: Transparency Delayed at RIOC
New York’s Freedom of Information Law rests on a basic principle: government records belong to the public unless an agency can identify a lawful reason to withhold them. For Roosevelt Island residents, that right matters because RIOC controls public land, infrastructure, transportation, contracts and development without functioning as a locally elected government.
