From Canvas to Stage: The Artwork Defining the Sag Harbor American Music Festival

From its very first year, the Sag Harbor American Music Festival has been a celebration not only of music, but also of the village’s unique identity. And as alive and vibrant as the local music scene is, the role of artists and writers in Sag Harbor’s history cannot be overstated. So it made perfect sense when painter Maryann Lucas suggested that an original piece of artwork be created each year to promote the festival.

“I love our architecture and our sweet town and each structure,” Lucas said. “Everything is so precious and beautiful — I knew that. I knew Sag Harbor well, and I knew the art world well. I knew nothing about music.”

That changed quickly. Year after year, Lucas’s paintings became a centerpiece of the festival. Her artwork graces the cover of the program book, and raffles for the originals raise funds. Lucas also met with musicians and captured them in iconic Sag Harbor locations.

“The first one I painted was in front of the windmill,” she said. “It was Randy Brecker and Ada Rovatti and Claes Brondal. Here’s the beauty: Now I know the names of those musicians. I got to know so many of them over the years.”

Kelly Dodds, president and co-artistic director of the festival, has always emphasized the importance of local buildings and landmarks. For years, the headliner performed at the First Presbyterian (Old Whalers’) Church, one of Sag Harbor’s beloved structures that many had never entered. It allowed for transcendent experiences — like when the Fairfield Four, a gospel quartet, sang to the rafters.

“The festival integrates all elements of the Sag Harbor community,” Dodds said. “The musicians partnered with these iconic locations embodies our mission of collaborating and uplifting the community.”

Over the years, the artwork has also preserved glimpses of places before they disappeared. When Conca D’Oro, the beloved pizza joint on Main Street, was about to close, Lucas insisted it be featured.

“I insisted we do Conca D’Oro,” she said. “It’s the one time I took the photo in the fall, because I knew Frank was going to close. I took a photo of Hopefully Forgiven standing out front right before it closed.”

Buildings often held special significance. In 2016, when the John Jermain Memorial Library reopened in its historic location after a major renovation, more than 1,000 townspeople formed a human chain from the temporary site back to the original, passing copies of “Sag Harbor: An American Beauty” hand-to-hand.

“That year we had Inda Eaton in front of the library, celebrating that they were back in the original space,” Dodds said. “The paintings capture a moment in time.”

For Lucas, the series became an important chapter in her own life.

“I remember lying on the street in front of the American Hotel, shooting up at the building with Mama Lee and Jim Lawler with their daughter,” she said. “I remember meeting Nancy Atlas for the first time in front of the 5 and 10 in her big Cadillac.”

Eventually, Lucas passed the baton. Last year, Barbara Maslen captured Jake Lear and Jameson Ellis in front of Canio’s Books before it closed. This year, Maslen took on a bigger challenge: painting Escola de Samba Boom in front of Mashashimuet Park.

“Escola de Samba Boom can consist of anywhere from a dozen to three dozen musicians,” Maslen said with a laugh. She began with a photograph by Dana Shaw of the band performing at the park last year. But many faces were indistinct, so she researched the players and carefully painted 17 individual portraits.

“There are so many characters and I know so many of them,” Maslen said. “They’re very distinctive — different races, sizes, shapes and ages. I just tried to capture the joy and the motion and the color of Samba Boom.”

For Maslen, Samba Boom felt like the perfect subject because their mission mirrors her own approach to art.

“They’re loosely formed and amorphous,” she said. “They invite people to join in. My commitment is to art as community-based and publicly accessible, and Samba Boom is that, too.”

Dodds agreed it was about time the group’s energy appeared on the program cover.

“They are a hallmark of the festival,” she said. “They have played every year and they are almost always the kickoff.

“They’re like a call to action. It’s like, get on board, come down to Sag Harbor.”