Eastville Community Historical Society Shows ‘Resilience’

Eastville Community Historical Society (ECHS) is currently hosting its Annual Fourth of July Art show featuring the Superposition Gallery’s “Resilience,” curated by Storm Ascher at the ECHS Heritage House. The show opened July 4, and runs through September 30.

The group exhibition captures the collective history, survival, and long tradition of artists and creatives living in Sag Harbor. Over the past year, Superposition artists have been asked to respond visually to the curatorial theme of “Resilience,” meaning the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties and the ability of an object to spring back into shape.

Superposition is hosting a benefit sale exhibition of framed prints, drawings, and paintings to raise funds for the museum’s archival research initiative documenting Black and Indigenous history in the Hamptons and building the museum’s contemporary collection of artists and scholars who are reclaiming the area in this new era. Superposition Gallery has been a Legacy Supporter of Eastville and SANS since 2020. In addition to the exhibition inside the Eastville Museum, Superposition is funding public installations throughout the preserved museum grounds of the St. David AME Zion Church and Cemetery to connect the present with Eastville’s ancestors.

“I have personally associated the Hamptons, and specifically my home in Sag Harbor, as a safe place to reinvigorate my passions and stamina while surrounded by the natural elements,” said the show’s curator, Storm Ascher in a statement. Ascher is Superposition Gallery’s founder and director. “Having an oasis escape to continue one’s hustle is a right that every person deserves. I want my community to know that they are welcome in spaces that, on the surface, are known as exclusionary. I believe it is important for BIPOC to know that they have history in these areas — that there is a palpable and visceral sense of ancestry in this town. There is also a resurgence throughout the country to reestablish a sense of ownership and access to beach towns that have long been thought of as exclusive to a certain class or race due to gentrification.”

Participating artists in “Resilience” are: Derrick Adams, Patrick Alston, Jessica Taylor Bellamy, Knowledge Bennett, Michael A. Butler, Renee Cox, Jeremy Dennis, Eilen Itzel Mena, Nate Lewis, Melanie Luna, Audrey Lyall, Helina Metafaria, Ambrose Rhapsody Murray, Chinaedu Nwadibia, Naila Opiangah, Miguel Angel Payano Jr., John Rivas, Alisa Sikelianos-Carter, Tariku Shiferaw, Marcus Leslie Singleton and Raelis Vasquez.

“This partnership showcases talented artists with historical knowledge and cultural interpretation. The exhibition and tours embody a sense of place,” said Robin Brown, ECHS Board President. “With the support of this collaboration and our connection through the arts, we seek to enhance historic significance with a preservation point of view.

“We are honored to have our Legacy Supporter bring this exhibition to our site,” Brown added. “The benefit art show will enhance collections and further programming for our museum.”

“Resilience” is on view throughout the summer at the Eastville Community Historical Society’s Heritage House at 139 Hampton Street, Sag Harbor. Closing festivities will take place the week of September 30. For more information, visit eastvillehistorical.org or superpositiongallery.com.