Stargazer Saved: $100K Donation Secures Sculpture’s Future

It’s official. The call for $100,000 to save “Stargazer” has been answered.

The six-figure grant — which will fund significant repairs to the iconic Eastport sculpture — comes from the Manes American Peace Prize Foundation, founded by philanthropist Dr. Harvey Manes, an orthopedic surgeon, lawyer and art collector who will be honored at this year’s Hamptons Fine Art Fair.

The donation ensures the future of the towering steel-and-wood abstract deer, explained David Morris, who built the nearly 50-foot-tall sculpture with artist Linda Scott. Ever since 1991, it has stood as an unofficial gateway to the Hamptons, its head tilted toward the sky, holding an antler in its mouth.

“I’m in shock and awe,” Mr. Morris, now 72, said with a laugh. “I’m happy and excited and everything, but I’m still in shock. It’s an awesome job to fix this thing — and I’m about 25 years older, at least!”

As it currently stands on the east side of County Road 111, “Stargazer” is comprised of a steel frame covered by a wood frame and plywood skin that is stuccoed and painted over. At the time, this was a leading construction practice — and, ultimately, what sunk the sculpture.

Battered by countless blizzards, hurricanes and even woodpeckers, the sculpture is a shell of what it once was and needs a complete rebuild from the ground up — an undertaking that will be overseen by the Arete Living Arts Foundation, according to its creative director, Caesar Pink.

“We at Arete Living Arts are very grateful for the donations and look forward to seeing the ‘Stargazer’ sculpture repaired and looking better than ever,” Mr. Pink said. “We are thrilled that the donors value public art works such as the ‘Stargazer.’”

Mr. Morris anticipates that the work will begin in late September, starting with tracing the head and creating a pattern out of thin plywood before stripping the steel frame, checking it for stress fractures, re-welding if necessary, and reenforcing it with more steel.

He plans to build the deer from pressure-treated ACQ lumber, covered with a waterproof material and a drainage system before reapplying stucco. The sculpture will also be vented and reinforced with metal flashing at the top, to prevent pesky woodpeckers from wreaking any more havoc — extending its lifespan another 30 to 40 years, Mr. Morris said.

“We’re definitely gonna have to raise more money because I have to lease that land,” he said. “I want to make sure there’s enough money for maintenance and keeping up on it every year — do an inspection and all — so this doesn’t happen again.”

Mr. Morris expects to use the full amount from the Manes American Peace Prize to complete the restoration, as well as a $50,000 grant promised by the FLAG Art Foundation and the nearly $11,000 raised from a GoFundMe campaign, “Save the Stargazer,” started earlier this summer.

“I’m happy — and here we go, another adventure,” said Mr. Morris, embarking on the new build without his partner, who died in 2015. “Linda’s ‘Stargazer’ will be there for another 30 years or more. I’ll be long gone, for sure. But the Arete Living Arts Foundation will carry it on.”