“We like to keep in mind that Sag Harbor is a place with a lot of different people with a lot of different stories to tell,” said Michael Butler, Associate Director of The Sag Harbor Whaling & Historical Museum.
This summer, The Sag Harbor Whaling & Historical Museum will help voice those tales during its second exhibit of the Every Village Has A Story series entitled People. The show, curated by Kathryn Szoka, is a combination of vintage photographs with photographs and paintings from artists who have lived or worked in the Village. It celebrates individuals of the past and present through an artistic medium.
Michael Butler, Associate Director of the Museum, is also playing a role as a featured People artist. “The concept was we really did not want to forget that Sag Harbor has blue collar and working class roots, especially with so much re-development going on and structures being re-designed,” he explained. “We wanted people to bear in mind that during the post-whaling era, there were a lot of different types of industries that helped support the Village during those lean times as well as different ethnic groups that participated and built up different communities here.”
Contributing artists of People include Linda Alpern, Michael Butler, Ann Chwatsky, Arthur Leipzig, and David Slater.
People will run from Friday, July 1st through Monday, July 18th at The Sag Harbor Whaling & Historical Museum. The Museum is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, $2 for children 11 and under, $3 for a group rate (15 person minimum) and $2 for a school group rate.
There will also be an opening reception on Friday, July 1st from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission for the reception is free.
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The Sag Habor Whaling & Historical Museum. (Photo: www.facebook.com) |
In addition, The Museum will present three panel discussions throughout the summer season.
First, Bryan Boyha, publisher emeritus of The Sag Harbor Express newspaper, will moderate a panel discussion entitled Meet Me on Main Street on Sunday, July 17th from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Admission is free.
Second, Karl Grossman, award-winning investigative reporter and professor of journalism, will moderate a panel entitled When the Noon Whistle Blows on August 14th from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Much of what Sag Harbor is today is due to the settlement of a number of manufacturers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, all of which replaced the infamous whaling industry. This panel will take a look back to Sag Harbor’s industrial past through the memories of individuals that once worked at these factories, including Fahys Watchase Factory (later Bulova), Grumman, Bliss Torpedo Factory, and Rowe Industries.
Last, in the remaining Sunday panel discussion of the summer, the Whaling Museum will look into various aspects of Sag Harbor’s blue collar heritage during Blue Collar Sag Harbor. Each panel will reminisce on the history and evolution of Sag Harbor through the lenses of Industry and Main Street Business—how together and individually, these pieces of village life contributed to the growth and development of the Town as a whole. Sag Harbor would not be the same today without these contributions.
The panel will focus on the evolution of Main Street businesses as some have remained in operation for generations, while other shops close when times, spirits or the needs of customers change. Long-time business owners will be featured at this lecture and will look back at the history of Sag Harbor’s businesses and the many people they have served.
“Our hope is that viewers of the exhibit will gain not only insight into the Village’s recent history, but also an appreciation for the many unique individuals who made Sag Harbor such a tight knit community and a great place to call home in the 20th century,” remarked Annette Hinkle, Board Member of Sag Harbor Whaling & Historical Museum.
The Sag Harbor Whaling & Historical Museum is located at 200 Main Street in Sag Harbor. For more information call 631-725-0770, or visit www.sagharborwhalingmuseum.org.
