An Aid Program for Hard-Hit New York Galleries

As art galleries and museums on the East Coast come to terms with loss and damage to their collections by Hurricane Sandy, a trade group the Art Dealers Association of America has assembled an aid program that will help New York City galleries that have been hardest hit by the flooding. The group, which was founded in 1962 and has 175 members in 25 cities, is announcing on Tuesday that it will provide grants and loans to galleries in Zone A â€" including those that are not members of the organization â€" that have been unable to conduct business since the hurricane.

The association's guidelines say that to be considered, galleries must show that they have suffered “catastrophic damage that prohibits gallery business, drastically impaired cash flow, and demonstrated risk of a business's permanent closure.”

An oversight committee will administer the grants and loans from an initial fund of $250,000. The association is planning a fundraising campaign to increa se that amount. Sara Fitzmaurice, a spokeswoman for the association, said that the first of the disbursements could be made this week. More information will be made available on the association's Web site, artdealers.org, or by contacting the organization by e-mail at adaa@artdealers.org, or by telephone, (212) 488-5550.

In a statement, the association said that it is its hope “that this injection of resources will speed the recovery and assist the entire gallery community in restoring this vital component of cultural life in New York City.”