Letters

On Saturday, June 1, the Parrish Art Museum received a meaningful and heartening endorsement from our community. By an 80 percent margin, voters approved the annual proposition for funding for the museum through a tax levy, continuing a four-decade show of support for the Parrish.

On behalf of the museum, I want to extend my deep appreciation to the residents of the Southampton School District who participated in the vote. The approved funds directly provide for education initiatives and public engagement, which include collaborating with local teachers to create on- and off-site programs for Southampton school students from pre-K through high school, free admission every day for students and children under 18, and reduced admission for seniors.

The Parrish is a year-round resource for the community, where visitors can join guided tours, take art classes and workshops, and attend more than 100 public programs each year, including music, talks and films—and, of course, view masterworks from the museum’s collection and changing exhibitions of internationally acclaimed artists.

The museum continues to look for new ways to welcome the community to be a part of our exciting work. Our Resident Members program, launched in 2014, provides residents of the Tuckahoe and Southampton school districts—as well as employees of the districts—with free admission to the museum and many of its programs. As of June 1, we have 1,776 Resident Benefit Memberships, and I hope those who have not yet enrolled will sign up.

A deeply formative program is Artist-in-Residence. In 2018, more than 350 students from Southampton and other local schools participated in art-making projects with Parrish collection artist Jeremy Dennis. Our Access Parrish programs provide visual art experiences for youth and adults with special needs and for individuals with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. In 2018, the initiative reached more than 650 people through 53 specialized monthly programs in partnership with eight organizations.

All of these initiatives are supported by the funds available through the tax levy. We are truly grateful for the community’s validation of the vital role the Parrish Art Museum plays on the East End of Long Island.

Terrie SultanDirector

Parrish Art Museum

Water Mill