When we did a Zoom interview with filmmaker PARKER SARGENT last summer, we realized that there were very few cultural activities on Fire Island that they were not involved in some way or another (See the interview here)
They have promised us a first look at their latest doc on another aspect of Fire Island life: this one is MAKING MISS CHERRY’S, which chronicles Timothy Byars also known as Sabel Scities, as he competes in the Miss Cherry Groves Allstars Pageant …. and the whole history of the Pageant itself. The film is due to premiere on July 26th ……watch this space for clips soon.
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Meanwhile, Parker has just curated an extraordinary exhibition of some 33 photographs that have been printed on large banners that can be seen on the boardwalks and outside the structures of Cherry Grove. The banners are printed with a QR code so that the thousands of visitors who come to this idyllic spot each summer can listen to the photographer narrate the stories behind many of the photographs. They can also hear audio clips of iconic island characters share stories about various community events and traditions. The images show, without filters, the joy but also the complexity of gay life on the island.
The images are the work of an extremely talented Basque-American photojournalist koitz who has taken them over the past two decades, which have seen such major changes since the AIDS pandemic in particular. The art recognizes the historic significance of the Grove in queer culture as it is considered the first gay community in the United States
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