Art for a (Hoped-For) Park
The Big Tent: Party for the Park! — a communitywide celebration and fund-raiser for Sag Harbor’s proposed John Steinbeck Memorial Park — will take place Sunday from 5 to 8 p.m. under a tent on Long Wharf. A project of the Sag Harbor Partnership, formerly Serve Sag Harbor, a nonprofit group dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of the quality of life there, the event has elicited the participation of more than 100 individuals and businesses.
A key component of the effort is the Art for the Park auction, hosted by Romany Kramoris and the Monika Olko, RJD, and Tulla Booth galleries. It will include work by almost 60 artists shown from 2 to 8 p.m. on Sunday and previewed before then on paddle8.com. Participants include John Alexander, Mary Ellen Bartley, Ross Bleckner, Eric Fischl, April Gornik, Brian Hunt, Laurie Lambrecht, Joe Pintauro, Dan Rizzie, and Lucy Winton.
Another highlight will be a photography contest for Pierson students hosted by Dodds and Eder and judged by Ralph Gibson and Mr. Fischl. “The quality of the work submitted by the Pierson kids blows my mind,” Mr. Fischl said. A “taste of Sag Harbor” will offer food and beverages from more than 30 restaurants, wineries, grocers, and other purveyors.
The HooDoo Loungers will bring their New Orleans party vibe to the event. The Sag Harbor Fire Department will bring its big grills for a barbecue, and a representative of the Wildlife Rescue Center of the Hamptons will be on hand with a red-tailed hawk and an owl.
“This has been a true group effort, a year in the making, on the part of the board of the partnership,” said Ms. Gornik, an artist and board member who spearheaded the art auction. “Susan Mead, our president, has been largely in charge of the tent organization, and Nick Gazzolo and I walked into every single store in Sag Harbor asking if they wanted to be supporters.”
In March, village officials unveiled plans for a waterfront park to be located next to the bridge to North Haven. Edmund D. Hollander and Maryann Connolly, who are landscape architects, developed conceptual drawings for the project, which would include two sand beaches, a fishing and small-boat pier, and a pedestrian walkway under the bridge that would connect with Windmill Park.
However, a private developer owns several of the parcels that make up the bulk of the site and so far has been unwilling to sell the property to the village, which is pursuing condemnation proceedings to take ownership. Proceeds from Sunday’s party will be to support the village-approved plan.
“We hope the whole community will come out to celebrate this wonderful initiative,” Ms. Gornik said. “It is a legacy project for generations to come, will help protect the health and beauty of our harbor, and will show our support for, and thanks to, the mayor and board of trustees for their hard work.”
Advance tickets, which can be purchased at sagharborpartnership.org, are $50 for adults and $10 for children under 16. Admission at the door will be $60 and $15.