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Winner’s Circle exhibition heads to Gallery North May 26

by Heidi Sutton - May 23, 2022

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By Heidi Sutton

The Winner’s Circle. It is a title only associated with the best of the best. And now the best of the best will be showcased at Gallery North’s latest exhibition celebrating the award-winning artists of the 2021 Outdoor Art Show and Music Festival and the 2020 Carmela Kolman Fellowship program. The show opens on May 26 with an artist reception from 6 to 8 p.m.

Ned Puchner, Executive Director at Gallery North, is excited to introduce the exhibit. “The Winner’s Circle exhibition is a crucial part of how Gallery North promotes local artists and celebrates the artistic excellence within our region. Each one of these artists possesses an outstanding talent and should be acknowledged for the amazing work they contribute to our creative community,” he said.

The exhibition features over 50 works of art from recipients of the Best in Show award and best in categories including wood craft, fiber art, glass art, jewelry, painting, photography, and pottery from the Festival which took place last September. “Each artist submitted a selection of 10 to 15 examples of their work for our Curator, Kate Schwarting, to consider for our show at Gallery North,” said Puchner.

The 2021 festival judges, including Karen Levitov, Director and Curator of the Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery at the Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University; Lorraine Walsh, Art Director of the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics at Stony Brook University; and contemporary artist, Nancy Bueti-Randall evaluated over 90 exhibitors to present the 13 available awards. “They were given a herculean task and did an outstanding job,” said Puchner.

“Each artist was evaluated for the excellence of their work, as well as how their approach transcended the specifics of their chosen medium to present works that conveyed the artist’s passion for what they do,” he explained.

The Winner’s Circle includes artists Chloe Wang (Best in Show); Scott Hartman (Outstanding Work on Paper-Watercolor); William Low (Outstanding Painting in Oil and Acrylic); Gail Applebaum/Studio 2 Productions (Outstanding Glass Art); Michael Josiah (Outstanding Wood Craft); Bebe Federmann (Outstanding Ceramics and Pottery); Jessica Randall (Outstanding Jewelry); Madison Muehl (Outstanding Photography); Kate Ackerman (Outstanding Fiber Art); Cassandra Voulo, Eric Giles, Marlene Weinstein (Honorable Mentions), and Carmela Kolman Fellow, Meagan Flaherty.

The Carmela Kolman Fellowship in Fine Art Program recognizes one exceptional artist annually who embodies the character and creativity of Carmela Kolman, an outstanding artist and member of the Gallery North community.

“There is a wealth of artistic talent in our Winner’s Circle exhibition,” said Puchner, “from the superb jewelry of Jessica Randall, to the breathtaking pottery of Bebe Federmann and Eric Giles’ fascinating, offbeat sculpture, to Chloe Wang’s jewel-like paintings. Having a reputation as one of Long Island’s longest, continuously-running art festivals, the Outdoor Art Show and Music Festival is really unique for the ways in which it attracts excellent artists across every medium from all over Suffolk and Nassau County. And Gallery North has done the Festival for over 55 years! Please join us for this wonderful exhibition and support your creative community!”

Gallery North is located at 90 North Country Road in Setauket. Generously sponsored by Jefferson’s Ferry, bld Architecture, and Suffolk County’s Department of Economic Development and Planning, The Winner’s Circle will be on view from May 26 to July 3 from Wednesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. All works in the exhibition are for sale.

For more information, please call 631-751-2676 or visit www.gallerynorth.org.

TBR News Media’s Artist of the Month: Doug Reina

by Irene Ruddock - April 3, 2022

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By Irene Ruddock

Artist statement:

‘I paint Modified-Realism by altering and enhancing colors, using more abstract compositions, and leaving large areas of the painting an ambiguous black.’

Doug Reina, a well-known Long Island artist, is currently preparing for his first solo exhibit at Gallery North in Setauket. Titled Prolonged Perceptions: Recent Paintings by Doug Reina, the exhibit will run from April 7 to May 22 with an opening reception on April 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. and an ArTalk on April 9 at 6 p.m.

I had a chance to dig deeper into the artistic vision of this prestigious artist when I visited his studio located at 290 Main Street, Setauket where he gives lessons every Thursday. Be sure to view his website dougreina.com for additional information about his distinguished career.

When did you first realize your interest and talent in art?

Ever since I was a small child, I had an interest in making art that expressed my feelings. I sensed that I had talent for art based on the reaction my work was getting from my art teachers and classmates.

Do you remember the first piece of art that you created?

When I was four or so, I decided to run away by doing a self-portrait showing me running away, which I slipped under my folk’s bedroom door. As I recall it got a really big, affectionate reaction from my mom!

Your parents are involved in the art world. Can you tell us about them and how they influenced you?

My dad is a sculptor who made large public bronze works. He also taught art at Nassau Community College, where he was the director of the Art department. My mom was also an artist and had a gallery of contemporary crafts in Cold Spring Harbor. The home was full of original, contemporary art. I think having all that work to soak in over the years helped me to develop my own sense of aesthetics.

Who else was instrumental in encouraging you to pursue your art?

Stan Brodsky, a Long Island painter, became a mentor to me when I was a student in his Advanced Painting class. Stan opened my eyes about how much more a painting could express. I know I was very lucky to have those classes in that stage of my artistic development. I had the privilege of interviewing Stan about his artistic life at the Reboli Center which you can view on YouTube.

Can you name another artist whose work you admired and gave you inspiration?

When I first saw Richard Diebenkorn’s loose, gestural, figurative paintings I was blown off my feet. I see that he’s choosing colors because that’s what he feels the painting needs, rather than what reality says it’s supposed to be. But the thing that always gets me is the way he’ll paint something that’s loosely realistic but arrange the composition in such a way that the painting also feels somehow abstract.

Your latest works are going to be shown at Gallery North in a solo show titled Prolonged Perception. How would you describe these pieces?

They are paintings of the things I am attracted to — obscure, ordinary spaces of contemporary life that are often overlooked. I paint over a blackened canvas, which makes the colors really pop. It also allows for some interesting effects when the black shows through the thin sections of color. But most importantly, I can leave large areas to remain black. This changes the paintings, as they are no longer “normal” fully rendered scenes. The black creates both a powerful design element as well as an equally powerful psychological quality in the work.

What feelings would you like the viewer to come away with?

I’d like them to feel they are seeing something new and fresh with beautiful color and compositions that have an abstract painting quality to them. I’d like them to take in a view of something often overlooked, yet possess some interesting emotional vibe that is worth slowing down for and considering.

Your recently published book, Under the Covers, showcases your cartoon work which has been described as ‘absurd, hilarious, and surprisingly touching.’ How did you become interested in cartooning?

My first love as a child artist was drawing cartoons. I continued through my adult life and had some luck getting them published with The New Yorker magazine as well as with King Features Syndicate. I have a love for vintage fountain pens and always have a sketchbook on hand to amuse myself. A few years ago, I had started posting my little doodles from my sketchbook onto Instagram, where they amused my friends and like-minded strangers. I was advised to put them into a book which has been very well-received and can be purchased on Amazon.

Your immensely popular paintings on cigar boxes are another unique way you express your art. How did that come about?

There is another Richard Diebenkorn influence. I had read that he would take the lids off cigar boxes, paint directly onto them and give them as gifts to his friends. I do it a little differently though, in that, I like the paper border around the cigar boxes and use that as a “frame” for my paintings. l also left the lid on the box. In fact, I glue them to the box which allows the entire box to be hung on a wall to be presented just like a regular painting.

You have many facets to your creativity, but many still admire your Long Island landscapes. How do you perceive these paintings?

I think my plein air paintings have a freshness to them that I find often hard to replicate when working in the studio. I can always tell the difference between the two types of paintings. Whenever I paint outdoors, I feel a sense of urgency, as the weather is changing and the sun is on the move — so, there’s no time wasted. I begin to paint ahead of my mind, and I paint more with my heart. That puts an energy into the brushstrokes and that gives the paintings a nice sense of life to them.

Your figurative work encompasses a plethora of interesting characters. What is it about a person that intrigues you to paint them?

People have so much character that they can add a powerful mood to a painting quite nicely. Plus, they can be a “stand in” for the viewer or me and help tell a type of story in the painting that we all share and feel as humans.

The prestigious Pollack-Krasner award was given to you twice. What did receiving that award mean to you and how did you utilize it?

I was honored to have received those grants from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation. As an artist, it made me feel like my work had merit and I was on the right track. The grant money has enabled me to open and maintain my studio, which has been here on Main Street in Setauket since 2014.

Your work is in many private collections. Is there one that brought you the most fulfillment?

Yes, I was commissioned to paint a copy of Washington Crossing the Delaware. This was a complicated painting that took many months to complete. When it was completed, I felt that I had become a stronger, more confident painter. It’s on my website under the Commissions section if you’d like to see it. (www.dougreina.com)

What is your lifetime goal as an artist?

To have a long and healthy life where I can continue to make art that means something to me and to the people who exhibit it and collect it.

Solo exhibit, Emergence, heads to Gallery North Feb. 24

by Press Release - February 21, 2022

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Gallery North in Setauket has announced it’s latest exhibit, Emergence: Gerald Monroe, a memorial retrospective of the late abstract artist Gerald Monroe, on view from Feb. 24 to April 3. An opening reception will be held on Feb. 24 from 6 pm to 8 pm.

The exhibition and opening reception will be free and open to the public.

This exhibition of small, medium and large oil paintings — Monroe’s first at Gallery North — embodies every possible meaning of the title, Emergence. These are paintings formed from pure intensity of feeling. Each painting arises from in-the-moment narratives, personal speculation, and a long-held fascination with nature.

Monroe’s abstractions derive from a decades-long dedication to Modernist abstraction, and uniformly emerge from natural sources — bodies, plant forms, passing clouds, thin rays of light, or the slow melt of a sunset seen from his studio.

“Every mark is a speculative act; uncertainty spurs possibilities, only to have them become mired in incoherence. I must bring method to the madness: the creation of a well-constructed picture that relies on the tendency of color, shape, texture, etc. to strike metaphorical connections to the real world of palpable space and energy,” said Monroe, who passed away in June, 2021.

Emergence explores the natural world and reveals how our physical experience of the world shapes and sometimes distorts our inner lives in mysterious ways.

Gerald Monroe was born in New York City in 1926. He attended classes at the Art Students League in Manhattan and graduated from the Cooper Union for Art. He then earned his doctorate in education from New York University and spent the early years of his career as a scholar and published author, known for his seminal research on the activities of the Artists Union during the Great Depression.

Based in Water Mill, he exhibited widely, including solo shows at Manhattan galleries, the New Jersey State Museum and the Loeb Center at NYU, as well as group exhibitions at the Parrish Museum in Southampton, the Heckscher Museum in Huntington and Guild Hall in East Hampton. His work can be found in many public and private collections, including the Newark Museum.

This exhibition is generously sponsored by Jefferson’s Ferry, and Suffolk County’s Department of Economic Development and Planning.

Gallery North is located at 90 North Country Road in Setauket. For more information, call 631-751-2676 or visit www.gallerynorth.org.

Gallery North kicks off new year with Chroma-Tenacity exhibit

by Tara Mae - January 14, 2022

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Two person show explores color and chance through sculpture and abstract painting

By Tara Mae

Kicking off 2022, Gallery North explores the beauty born of controlled chaos and how that informs the power, impact, and usage of color through the raku sculptures of Gina Mars of Huntington and the abstract oil paintings of Ellen Hallie Schiff of Glen Cove in an exciting exhibit titled Chroma-Tenacity. The show opens Jan. 13.

Although Mars has a long-standing relationship with Gallery North, it is Schiff’s first exhibition at the gallery, and the pairing provides a unique opportunity for the artists to showcase their work in a way rarely seen, according to Executive Director Ned Puchner. The mixed media display, featuring approximately 53 pieces, was a calculated departure from the gallery’s standard procedure.

“I am excited to see 3-dimensional work shown at the same time as 2-dimensional work. Often, we segment those things: the former in the gift shop, the latter in the gallery. I love the interplay between 3-D and 2-D; it’s important to me,” he said.

Despite their different modes of expression, Mars and Schiff’s work shares certain commonalities that are interwoven into overall continuity and themes of Chroma-Tenacity.

“It really has to do with them trying to experiment and stay driven towards the goal of creating something beautiful that contains chaos. The exhaustion that comes with uncertainty runs through how we live right now and also this work,” said Puchner.

This notion of tranquility in turbulence and meaning in mayhem are continuous themes of Mars and Schiff’s art, from concept to creation, reflected in the process and the final product.

“Control and chance are elements in both of their work. Both artists focus on the importance of color, attention to detail, and creating refined pieces. Gina’s sculptures focus on understanding the chemistry that exists within the glazes and surface texture, yet allowing them to have this spontaneous reaction. Ellen’s work involves destroying things to build them back up,” said curator Kate Schwarting.

Mars primarily works in raku, a sculptural style that involves rapidly firing pottery or sculpture. Her decorative and functional pottery is removed from the kiln at 2000 degrees and put in a covered container with combustibles (Mars likes to use pine needles and newspaper). The smoke interacts with the glaze and creates all different colors.

Mars makes her own glazes, either color or crackle, which is a white glaze that, upon being taken out of kiln, shrinks in the air causing cracks. When the sculpture is put into the bin, the smoke gets into the cracks and makes incredible hues.

Her pottery features iridescent glazed bodies and crackle glazed lids.

“I love to go bold with my work and with color, push the limits of creativity, mixing different mediums. I may use different kinds of glaze firings, or different kinds of materials,” said Mars. “I like to take a lot of risks and [create] the vision that I see in my head; I don’t let anything influence me but my own ideas.”

Schiff is also open to the experience of creation informing her art, rather than adhering to a preconceived plan. Her work captures not only what is there but what is left behind as she applies layers of paint and then scrapes them away to form her works.

While experimenting with different markings, Schiff has sought to expand her color palette in the past year.

“I am interested in exploring. I try to really be open to what is happening on the canvas, what may occur, what I may explore with. I am intentional but I am also open to what may happen. I’m starting with the paint, I’m not starting with a narrative. Narrative may develop from putting the paint on the canvas. My work is about color and intention,” she explained.

This shared willingness to play around with colors, tones, and forms is what first drew Schwarting to assembling this joint exhibition.

“Gina started branching out in the past year [with] new motifs, materials, and experimenting with her process. I was really drawn to the sculptural elements and the dark surfaces that become luminous. Ellen’s art also evolved — it got brighter. The attention to texture and color is what really stood out to me: earthy, weathered, worn, but with incandescent color. Gina’s art has a very similar feeling to what Ellen has in her paintings. The breadth, range, and simultaneous cohesion of this exhibition make it a truly unique experience and one we are excited to share.”

Exhibition-related programming will include an ArTalk on Location, featuring both artists, to be published on YouTube on Feb. 3 and a one-day pottery workshop with Gina Mars in the Studio on Feb. 4 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Gallery North, 90 North Country Road, Setauket is open Tuesday to Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. For more information, call 631-751-2676 or visit www.gallerynorth.org.

Gallery North kicks off season with Deck the Halls exhibit, Holiday Market

by Press Release - November 9, 2021

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DTH21_MyungjaAnnaKoh_White Table — 'White Table' by Myungja Anna Koh. Image from Gallery North

Deck the Halls, Gallery North’s annual group exhibition of small original works for holiday giving, returns from Nov. 12 to Dec. 19.

‘White Table’ by Myungja Anna Koh. Image from Gallery North

Enjoy artworks by over 50 local and regional artists in a range of media, including painting, printmaking, works on paper, sculpture, glassware, and more. The exhibition offers an excellent opportunity to support local artists and local business, and features a diverse selection of affordable, exciting, original artworks for everyone on your list.

In addition, Gallery North also features a large assortment of artisan created jewelry, handmade crafts, and decorations within the Shop at Gallery North, as well as clothing and artist-made greeting cards produced in the Studio at Gallery North. They also offer the gift of an art class or workshop to an aspiring artist, child, or adult.

An opening reception will be held on Friday, Nov. 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. and will be free and open to the public.

Deck the Halls is generously sponsored by WFC Architects, Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning, and DIME Bank.

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As a complement to this year’s group exhibition, Deck the Halls, Gallery North will partner with the Three Village Historical Society and WUSB 90.1 FM/107.3 FM Stony Brook, to present The Holiday Market, a series of new outdoor events held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays from Nov. 27 to Dec. 18.

The purpose of The Holiday Market is to provide the community with an alternative to holiday shopping indoors and will offer an excellent opportunity to support local artists and businesses within a free, outdoor, safe, and socially distanced setting, complete with food by local eateries and live music by local musicians.

Holiday shoppers will find a diverse selection of affordable, exciting, original paintings, prints, photography, ceramics, pottery, woodwork, glassware, artisan created jewelry, handmade crafts, decorations, and clothing — perfect gifts for everyone on your list.

Gallery North is located at 90 North Country Road, Setauket. The gallery is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 631-751-2676 or visit www.gallerynorth.org.

Gallery North presents photography exhibit, Moving Through Land

by TBR Staff - September 30, 2021

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Jeremy+Dennis_Manitou+Hill_2017_21.3+x+29.3+inches — Manitou Hill by Jeremy Dennis

Exhibition features recent works by Jeremy Dennis

Following the success of its curated group exhibition, Local Color, Gallery North in Setauket now shifts gears to present the work of contemporary photographer and tribal member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation, Jeremy Dennis, in an exhibit titled Moving Through Land. The show will be on view from Sept. 30 to Nov. 7.

Moving Through Land is Jeremy Dennis’ first solo exhibition at Gallery North and features a selection of photographs that highlight the artist’s use of cinematic imagery and examines indigenous identity within the artist’s community, the Shinnecock Indian Nation in Southampton.

The exhibit will consist of photographs from four of Dennis’ recent series — Rise, On This Site – Indigenous Long Island, Nothing Happened Here, and the Shinnecock Portrait Project. Together, the imagery of these four series explores and unsettles post-colonial narratives at play in film and media, unambiguously targeting damaging stereotypes such as the ‘noble savage.’

“As racial divisions and tensions reach a nationwide fever pitch, it’s more important to me than ever to offer a complex and compelling representation of indigenous people. I like making use of the cinema’s tools, the same ones directors have always turned against us…, to create conversations about uncomfortable aspects of post-colonialism,” said Dennis.

Ned Puchner, Executive Director at Gallery North, is excited to unveil the exhibit to the public. “Moving Through Land features dramatic photographs that are both beautiful and compelling. We are thrilled to present Jeremy Dennis’ photographs to our community as a way to explore common notions of indigenous identity and bring attention to the resilience of the Shinnecock Indian Nation and their ongoing struggles of maintaining autonomy,” he said.

Gallery North, 90 North Country Road, Setauket will host an opening reception for Moving Through Land: Recent Work by Jeremy Dennis on Saturday, Oct. 2, from 5 to 7 pm. The artist will also lead a Photowalk on Monday, Oct. 11 at 3 p.m. that will begin at Gallery North.

This exhibition is generously sponsored by Nancy Goroff, Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning, and Dime Bank.

For more information, call 631-751-2676 or visit www.gallerynorth.org.

Artists honored at Gallery North event

by Heidi Sutton - September 26, 2021

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Gallery North in Setauket hosted its 55th annual Outdoor Art Show & Music Festival on Sept. 11 and 12. The two day event showcased the work of over 90 artists and artisans and featured live music, kids activities and food and attracted thousands of visitors.

Juried by Karen Levitov, Director and Curator of the Zuccaire Gallery at Stony Brook University; artist Nancy Bueti-Randall; and Lorraine Walsh, Art Director and Curator of the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics, awards were granted for each art category, including wood craft, ceramics and pottery, fiber art, works on paper, photography, glass art, jewelry, and painting. Gallery North’s Executive Director Ned Puchner had the honor of presenting the awards. The winning artists will be featured in Gallery North’s Winners Circle Exhibition in 2022.

And the awards go to:

Best in Show: Chloe Wang

Outstanding Wood craft: Michael Josiah

Outstanding Fiber Art: Kate Ackerman

Outstanding Glass Art: Gail Applebaum

Outstanding Jewelry: Jessica Randall

Outstanding Painting in Oil and Acrylic: William Low

Outstanding Ceramics and Pottery: Bebe Federmann

Outstanding Work on Paper: Gerard Lehner

Outstanding Work on Paper-Watercolor: Scott Hartman

Outstanding Photography: Madison Muehl

Honorable Mentions: Marlene Weinstein, Eric Giles

and Cassandra Voulo

Gallery North is located at 90 North Country Road, Setauket. For more information, call 631-751-2676 or visit www.gallerynorth.org.

Outdoor Holiday Market returns to Setauket in November; vendors wanted

by Press Release - September 22, 2021

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The Three Village Historical Society and Gallery North are pleased to present The Holiday Market, a series of outdoor holiday shopping events, located on the grounds of the Three Village Historical Society at 93 N. Country Road, Setauket and Gallery North, just across the street, at 90 N. Country Road, Setauket. Each market will feature music as well as a variety of food trucks and unique, artisanal goods and gifts to a safe, and socially distant outdoor setting this holiday season.

Event dates are Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.:

Saturday, November 27^th (Small Business Saturday!)
Saturday, December 4^th
Saturday, December 11^th
Saturday, December 18^th

To register as a vendor please visit: http://www.gallerynorth.org/holiday-market

To register as a food truck please email [email protected]

For more information, call the TVHS at 631-751-3730 or Gallery North at 751-2676.

Highlights from Gallery North Outdoor Art & Music Festival

by Heidi Sutton - September 18, 2021

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Gallery North presented its 55th annual Outdoor Art & Music Festival in Setauket on Sept. 11 and 12. Thousands of visitors attended the two day event which featured over 90 exhibitors, music and food. Next up for the gallery is the return of its outdoor holiday markets, in collaboration with the Three Village Historical Society, on Saturdays, Nov. 27, Dec. 4, 11 and 18. For more information, visit www.gallerynorth.org.

Photos by Heidi Sutton

A historical adventure: Culper Spy Day returns Sept. 18

by Heidi Sutton - September 17, 2021

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Big Bill the Tory — Meet Big Bill Tory at the Sherwood Jayne House during Culper Spy Day. Photo from Preservation Long Island

UPDATED! This article was updated on 9/17/21 to reflect a change to the schedule of events (in bold).

By Heidi Sutton

On Saturday, Sept. 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Three Village Historical Society, Tri-Spy Tours and the Long Island Museum will host a day of spy-related tours and activities for the 7th annual Culper Spy Day, named for the Culper Spy Ring founded by Benjamin Tallmadge, George Washington’s chief intelligence officer during the Revolutionary War.

The annual event is the brainchild of Margo Arceri, who first heard about George Washington’s Setauket spies (including her favorite spy Anna Smith Strong) from her Strong’s Neck neighbor and local historian, Kate W. Strong, in the early 1970s.

Diane Schwindt of Stirring Up History, pictured with Margo Arceri, will offer colonial cooking demonstrations during Culper Spy Day. Photo from Mari Irizarry

“Kate W. Strong, Anna Smith Strong’s great-great-granddaughter, originally told me about the Culper Spy Ring when I used to visit her with my neighbor and Strong descendant Raymond Brewster Strong III. One of her stories was about Nancy (Anna Smith Strong’s nickname) and her magic clothesline. My love of history grew from there,” she said in an interview in 2015.

Seven years ago Arceri approached the Three Village Historical Society’s President Steve Hintze and the board about conducting walking, biking and kayaking tours while sharing her knowledge of George Washington’s Long Island intelligence during the American Revolution.

Today, Arceri runs the popular Tri-Spy Tours in the Three Village area, which follows in the actual footsteps of the Culper Spy Ring. “I have to thank AMC’s miniseries Turn because 80 percent of the people who sign up for the tour do so because of that show. And now that Turn has come to Netflix it has taken this community to an entirely other level,” she said.

It was during one of those tours that Arceri came up with the idea of having a Culper Spy Day, a day to honor the members of Long Island’s brave Patriot spy ring who helped change the course of history and helped Washington win the Revolutionary War. After a successful five-year run, last year’s event was sideswiped by COVID-19 and was presented virtually on Facebook Live.

Meet costumed docents from Oyster Bay’s Raynham Hall on the grounds of the Three Village Historical Society. Photo by TVHS

This year the family-friendly event returns but on a smaller, more intimate scale as participants will have the opportunity to visit eight locations in Setauket, Stony Brook and Port Jefferson to learn about the patriots who risked their lives through tours, spy stories, colonial cooking demonstrations, historic letters, musical performances, and many children activities.

Escorted by Arceri, Mrs. Q of Karen Q. Patriot Tours of NYC will be on location live on social media and in costume visiting many of the locations. With the exception of the Sherwood Jayne House, all events are free.

While the Three Village Historical Society has remained closed since last January, it will reopen for the one-day event. Mari Irizarry, Outreach and Communications Manager at the Society, is ready to welcome visitors. “We miss our community. There is so much rich history, heritage and culture that is part of the Three Villages and beyond and we are excited to share it on Culper Spy Day,” she said.

Arceri’s favorite part of the day is “seeing all these organizations coming together as a whole. It really is our Revolutionary story,” she said. “Everywhere you turn in the Three Villages you are looking at an artifact, and as the historical society believes, the community is our museum and I would really love to put that on the forefront of people’s minds.”

Schedule of Events:

View Revolutionary War artifacts from the collection of Art Billadello at Emma S. Clark Memorial Library on Culper Spy Day.

1. THREE VILLAGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 93 North Country Road, Setauket. Located in the circa 1800 Bayles-Swezey House. Here you can take part in oudoor events including an invisible ink demonstration; Spy Stories on the TVHS Porch from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.; view a patriotic quilt display and demonstration and take part in colonial crafts with the Daughters of the American Revolution Anna Smith Strong Chapter; Author’s Row: come meet authors Beverly C. Tyler, Selene Castrovilla and, Claire Bellerjeau, available for book signings; view Revolutionary War letters from Stony Brook University’s Special Collections; take part in spy games and meet costumed docents who will talk about Raynham Hall, Culper Jr. and their Culper Spy connections; and enjoy a live colonial cooking demonstration and samples with Diane Schwindt of Stirring Up History. 631-751-3730.

2. THE STUDIO AT GALLERY NORTH, 84 North Country Road, Setauket. Visit The Studio to enjoy free Revolutionary War era arts and crafts for children throughout the day. Guests will have an opportunity to create a Tin Punch ornament or a chance to create a decoder & color a quilt square. Activities will occur on the patio, just outside the Studio. 631-751-2676.

3. EMMA S. CLARK MEMORIAL LIBRARY, 120 Main St., Setauket. The library (circa 1892) will present a concert featuring 18th century songs the trio Rose Tree from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. on the Library lawn. View Revolutionary military paraphernalia from the collection of Art Billadello in the Library’s lobby. Kids can enjoy a craft from noon to 3 p.m. 631-941-4080. Please note the previously scheduled bubble and comedy show on the lawn from 11 a.m. to noon has been canceled.

4. CAROLINE CHURCH AND CEMETERY, 1 Dyke Road, Setauket. Built in 1729, this timber frame building has maintained its Colonial appearance. Now an Episcopal church, during the Revolutionary War the Caroline Church was Anglican and a Colonial extension of the Church of England. The graveyard contains the remains of six Patriot soldiers as well as soldiers from World War I and II. View the inside of the church from the vestibule and tour the cemetery with docents from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Just added! Setauket Presbyterian church next door will be offering tours of their cemetery from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.. 631-941-4245.

5. PATRIOTS ROCK HISTORIC SITE, Main Street, Setauket (across from the Setauket Post Office). This glacial erratic boulder is said to be the location of the Battle of Setauket on Aug. 22, 1777. Stop here between 10 a.m. and noon to meet representatives from the Three Village Community Trust who will discuss the importance of Patriots Rock and its local and environmental history. 631-689-0225.

6. THE LONG ISLAND MUSEUM, 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook. The museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate with permanent and changing exhibitions on American history and art, along with the finest collection of horse-drawn carriages in the country, some of which belonged to Revolutionary War heroes. Visit the History Museum between noon and 5 p.m. to view the newly uncovered Culper Spy Ring letter and see LIMarts Collaborative Art Group doing a plein air painting / sketching on the grounds that day. 631-751-0066.

7. SHERWOOD-JAYNE HOUSE, 55 Old Post Road, East Setauket. Originally built around 1730 as a lean-to saltbox dwelling, the house and farm were maintained as an operational farmstead for over 150 years by members of the Jayne family. Visit with Big Bill the Tory aka William Jayne III, who will explain the noble intentions and virtuosities of King George III and tells you the TRUTH about Washington’s pesky band of renegade spies! Program runs continuously from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Masks must be worn inside. $5 per person, children under 5 free. Pre-registration is recommended at www.preservationlongisland.org.

8. DROWNED MEADOW COTTAGE MUSEUM, corner of West Broadway and Barnum Avenue, Port Jefferson. The Revolutionary War-era Roe House was originally constructed circa 1755 and Phillips Roe, a member of the Culper Spy Ring along with his brother Nathaniel and cousin Austin, was known to have lived there. Visit the cottage between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and attend an unveiling with Mayor Margot Garant at 11 a.m.

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Participating organizations for the 7th annual Culper Spy Day include Tri-Spy Tours, Three Village Historical Society, Stony Brook University Special Collections, Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, The Long Island Museum, Raynham Hall, Drowned Meadow Cottage, Preservation Long Island, Gallery North, Karen Q’s Patriot Tours NYC, Anna Smith Strong Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Stirring Up History, Three Village Community Trust, and Caroline Church of Brookhaven

For more information, call 631-751-3730 or visit www.tvhs.org

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