Eastern Long Island is known for many things, including its natural beauty and many resident creatives. These two things often go hand in hand, as in the case of the D’Amico Institute of Art and its flagship vessel, the Art Barge.
The Art Barge was born of an effort by Victor D’Amico (1904-1987), founding director of the Museum of Modern Art’s education department, to bring art education to the masses. When D’Amico began teaching on the South Fork in 1955, he operated out of Ashawagh Hall in Springs, but he longed for a larger space. Six years later, that dream came true in the form of a former naval barge brought from Jersey City to Napeague.
The construction records seen here contain budgets, reports, and estimates from the Art Barge/D’Amico house archive that reveal the particulars of turning a boat into an art center. By the summer of 1961, basic amenities had been added to the barge, but public interest meant more space was needed.
According to the progress report, the Barge’s first class began with 19 students, but by the third week over 40 had enrolled. An additional 100 students applied for classes by the end of that summer. The Barge was also overrun with curious visitors, necessitating separate visiting hours.
D’Amico decided to add a second story to the space, with an additional art studio, meeting room, storage areas, and an open deck. The second story was completed in 1963. The exterior of the building looks much the same today.
To learn more, be sure to attend “Looking Back: My Time With the D’Amicos and the Art Barge,” a talk at the East Hampton Library tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. by Christopher Kohan, the president of the board of the D’Amico Institute of Art and the Art Barge.
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Julia Tyson is a librarian and archivist in the Long Island Collection.
