The Wall Street Journal has a piece tracking the growing art scene in Cherry Grove and Fire Island, “historically known as gay vacation getaways—less so as destinations for contemporary art.”
Last year, we wrote about Fire Island Artist Residency, the first LGBT artist residency, which held its inaugural two-week long program last summer. They’ve returned this summer as well. New editions are the non-profit BOFFO and The Fire Island Pines Art Project.
More from the article:
Fire Island, a skinny finger of land that edges the southern shore of Long Island, has had its share of creative denizens, much like that other summer retreat to the east, the Hamptons. Past island habitués include artists Paul Thek and Robert Mapplethorpe, as well as writer Frank O’Hara, who was struck and killed by a dune buggy there in 1966. But the beach communities on Fire Island, gay and straight alike, are better known as summer escapes from city life and work: The island is accessible only by ferry, cars are not allowed, and the main thoroughfares are boardwalks.
The people behind the recent push for greater artistic engagement say the effort sprang from a desire to provide more high-minded activities, but also to pay tribute to the island’s legacy as a place of liberation and tolerance.
