Toma arrived in NYC to attend School of Visual Arts in 1970 on the GI bill. He was first introduced to Paula Cooper by a high school classmate and began to work at her gallery for the next five years when the gallery was located at 100 Prince Street. Since then, Toma has continued to work in the arts at various institutions such as the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt Museum, New York Public Library, Museum of Folk Art, American Federation for the Arts, Gander & White, American Craft Museum, NY Historical Society, Asia Society, Crozier Fine Arts, Baryshnikov Art Center, Neue Gallery, and the Metropolitan Museum (The Met).
Toma came to the Met in 1994 during the formative years of the Antonio Ratti Textile Center where he introduced the museum to the fine art of packing, specifically box making for the storage and protection of art works. As his tenure of 26+ years came to a close at the Met, Toma’s opportunity to re-invent himself became possible at 201@105 – a place to present, create, and preserve art.
New York City has long been known as a magnet attracting artists, but limited in space. Fichter says, "Considering the current cost per sq. foot for commercial space these days, my goal is to present work within the parameters of cost & sustainability, not only on a personal level, but a universal level as well." We are the ’little launchpad that could’ that enables artists to exhibit in an otherwise difficult environment, while also working on other projects to meet the rent. How is a board shear that more obtrusive than a table? This is a hybrid that encourages others to re-imagine art within their confines.
