The Somerville City Council’s Housing, Community Development and Equity Committee held a public hearing on March 4 at City Hall regarding a petition submitted by 52 registered voters about the future of the Out of the Blue Community Arts Gallery. During the hearing, artists and community members urged the city to allow the long-running gallery and its tenants to remain in the Center for the Arts at the Armory building.
Former CEO of the Out of the Blue Community Art Gallery, Parama Chattopadhyay, who organized the petition that prompted the hearing, was the first to speak. Chattopadhyay, who has lived in the Armory since 2019, said she felt “bewildered” when, in March 2021, she learned that she and other tenants might be forced to leave the building.
The city acquired the Armory building through a $5 million eminent domain purchase in May 2021. Chattopadhyay said that later that year she and the gallery’s 30 other artists received what she considered an “illegal eviction report” stating they would have to move out by Dec. 31, 2021. In 2025, the city released a master plan to turn the building into a public community arts center and is currently conducting a tenant selection process.
“I decided to be the spearheader of fighting for my gallery and its 30 artists,” Chattopadhyay said. “I definitely feel and know that I experience the most difficult repercussions of speaking up.”
Chattopadhyay claimed that three police reports were filed against her accusing her of allowing underage drinking in the gallery and hosting events involving marijuana use.
“Neither of those things were validated, yet I was now in constant fear,” she said.
Chattopadhyay said that the uncertainty over whether tenants will be allowed to remain at the Armory has left her feeling “very vulnerable in terms of [her] housing situation” for the past five years.
“If I must leave … then the City of Somerville, by eminent domain … from what I see … should provide me with a place,” she said. “And I certainly shouldn't be kicked out of Somerville.”
Steven Asaro, Chattopadhyay’s partner, also spoke at the hearing and said that they both had experienced “five years of open hostility” since the city acquired the building.
“Why would I bother trying to stay here when I know the conclusion is foregone? … [It] was decided before the seizure of the building,” he said. “The second the city took over this building, we were met with palpable and open hostility.”
Several other residents and artists also voiced support for the gallery and raised concerns about the potential displacement of tenants, both online and at City Hall.
Resident John Jay Pielmeier criticized the city’s handling of the building since it was acquired.
“Since the city took the building and proceeded to poorly manage it, they have caused nothing but hardship for my friends over at [Out of the Blue Art Gallery],” Pielmeier said.
Artist David Stickney, who has been involved with the gallery since its creation, also urged the city to allow the gallery to continue operating and to allow Chattopadhyay and Asaro to stay as tenants.
“They’ve been through hell and back supporting the gallery and their local artwork and community, they do such a really good job, and they deserve to stay,” Stickney said.
In a written testimony submitted to the City Council, Somerville resident Jenn Harrington said she signed the petition supporting the gallery “with reservations,” noting that she did not “fully agree with all the content in the petition.”
Harrington said she attended several meetings about the Armory and observed city staff working to address early issues with tenants and “made sincere efforts to build bridges.”
However, Harrington added that those efforts were not always successful. “Not all tenants were receptive to these efforts, and some repeatedly returned to past grievances rather than engaging in solutions,” she said.
“As operations at the Armory evolve and residential units are affected, I hope the City will explore options that allow Parama Chattopadhyay to remain in Somerville,” Harrington wrote. “If at all possible, I encourage consideration of an affordable housing unit — ideally one designated for artists — before any requirement that she vacate.”
She added that Somerville currently has fewer than 10 units designated for artist housing and encouraged city officials to invest in expanding those opportunities.
“With all the economic power and community benefit creatives bring to our city without receiving much in return, it’s hard to justify not investing in the stability that allows them to stay, work, and contribute,” she wrote.
The city is currently reviewing proposals for future tenants at the Armory. According to the city’s timeline, proposals are due Wednesday, and officials expect to conduct interviews with applicants later this spring. Final tenant selections are tentatively scheduled for July 2026 as the Armory transitions into a publicly “multi-tenant arts and cultural center.”
