In 1955, under the auspices of the Museum of Modern Art’s education department, the department’s director, Victor D’Amico, brought summer art classes to the East End, first at Ashawagh Hall in Springs and subsequently on a decommissioned Navy barge towed from Jersey City to Napeague Harbor.
Overlooking the harbor and the surrounding meadows, the D’Amico Institute of Art’s mission of making art education accessible to all has, like the barge itself, withstood the forces that have changed so much of the East End.
This summer’s classes will begin Monday from 9 till noon with Studio Process, led by Christopher Kohan, president of the Victor D’Amico Institute of Art. Studio Process will continue most weeks through Sept. 23,
The weeklong class provides individual instruction to artists at all levels of experience in a group session. Artists can use any medium, and are encouraged to take their own paints, brushes, and painting surfaces. Instructors for subsequent weeks are Bill Nagle, David Joel, Jennifer Cross, and Perry Burns, each of whom, like Mr. Kohan, will teach several sessions.
Also set for next week from 1 to 4 is Pit Fire Ceramics, which will be taught by Serina Mayer. Things will ramp up the week of June 9 with Studio Process with Mr. Nagle, Printing From Nature with Alia Knowlan, Painting for Beginners with Mr. Kohan, and a second week of Pit Fire Ceramics with Ms. Mayer.
Other weeklong classes in June, in addition to Studio Process, are Encaustic with Linda Sirow, Painting on Location: Gardens with Aurelio Torres, Motivate Your Creativity with Eva Iacono, Assemblage with Sally Richardson, Weaving with Lee Rywkin, Drawing: A Personal Exploration with Burt Van Deusen, Hand-Made Books by Veronica Mezzina, and Handmade Animation by Isabel Santos.
New this year are classes in Drawing and Writing from 4:30 to 6:30 on Wednesdays in June. Drawing is taught by Linda Capello, a master of figure drawing who teaches extensively on the East End. Maryann Calendrille, a teacher, writer, editor, and, for 25 years, co-owner of Canio’s Books in Sag Harbor, teaches the writing class.
Classes will continue through Sept. 26. Most weeklong classes are $350, but a Google search for Art Barge will have a complete schedule of classes, instructors, and fees. As The Star went to press, several classes were already sold out.
