New Whaling Museum Exhibit Explores Roots of Sag Harbor’s Past
The Cornerstone by Peter Solow.
New Whaling Museum Exhibit Explores Roots of Sag Harbor’s Past | Sag Harbor Express | Dawn Watson
From working-class whaling port to upper-crust vacation destination, Sag Harbor has witnessed its share of societal changes over the years. And even though its fiercely loyal local inhabitants have fought hard to retain its core identity, this quaintly charming waterfront village has evolved, for better or for worse.
The metamorphosis can be seen not just in the appearance of the people who live, work and summer here, but in even in the actual bricks and mortar that comprise the village’s structures. To that end, the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum is putting up an “Every Village Has a Story” exhibit, which explores the changing façades and uses of the buildings and how they reflect the transformation of the community. The group show, curated by Elise Goodheart, features nine local artists—Reynold Ruffins, John Capello, Paul Davis, Erica Lynn Huberty, Joan Tripp, Scott Sandell, Peter Solow, Carolyn Conrad and Michael A. Butler—who have been invited to explore the roots and underpinnings of Sag Harbor’s past through its buildings and places, and reflect upon how those past parts of the village inform their present points of view.
Ms. Goodheart says that she wanted to have the artists focus on the “largely unexplored” time span that has occurred since the end of the whaling industry and up to the present day. She tasked them with researching the period, finding an archival photo to serve as inspiration in creating a piece of artwork based on their findings, and writing a short blurb about it.