Knowledge Friday With Donnamarie Barnes

The next Knowledge Friday at The Church in Sag Harbor on Friday, March 3, at 6 p.m. will feature photographer and Sag Harbor native Donnamarie Barnes. A resident of Ninevah Beach in the SANS Community of Sag Harbor, Barnes grew up photographing the historic community and beach landscape. Barnes is the director of history and heritage at Sylvester Manor and the co-director of the Plain Sight Project, which is on view at the Sag Harbor Cinema from February 20 to March 10.

Barnes’s work includes researching the lives of the enslaved, free people of color and Indigenous people of Sylvester Manor and the East End interpreting their stories into the Manor’s narrative. Her archival work encompasses the organization’s mission to preserve, cultivate and share the stories of all the people of Sylvester Manor. With over 30 years’ experience as a photo editor for major publications, Barnes continues to practice photography in her daily life. During her lecture, Barnes will present slides of her photo work and speak on her life in Sag Harbor, highlighting how the village has inspired and influenced both her creative life and her life in general. She will also discuss how Sag Harbor has evolved over the years, her current work at Sylvester Manor and her career as a photographer.

Barnes began working at Sylvester Manor in 2014 as a volunteer history docent and joined the staff in 2016 as curator and archivist. Her ongoing work, as the Director of History & Heritage, includes researching the lives and identities of the former residents of Sylvester Manor.

For more than 30 years, Barnes worked in the editorial photography field as a photo editor for People Magazine and at the Gamma Liaison photo news agency. She holds a BFA degree from the Cooper Union School of Art.

Tickets to Knowledge Friday are $10 at thechurchsagharbor.org. The Church is at 48 Madison Street in Sag Harbor.