The New-York Historical Society is about to launch an exhibit of SAFE/HAVEN: GAY LIFE IN 1950s CHERRY GROVE. This OUTDOOR photographic Exhibit will give an intimate look at one of the first gay beach towns in the United States. It explores mid-20th-century gay life in Fire Island’s remote hamlet of Cherry Grove, located on the barrier island south of Long Island, through some 70 enlarged photographs and additional ephemera from the holdings of the Cherry Grove Archives Collection—which works to collect and archive the community’s rich and colorful history
“Cherry Grove on Fire Island became a weekend and summer destination for gay men and women in the pre-Stonewall era of the 1950s and 1960s,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of New-York Historical. “At a time when they faced homophobia and persecution, the residents of Cherry Grove found a sanctuary where they could socialize and express themselves freely. We are proud to partner with the Cherry Grove Archives Collection to display these joyful images.”
“The Cherry Grove Archives Collection is honored to exhibit our 1950s Cherry Grove photographs and ephemera at the New-York Historical Society,” said Susan Kravitz, on behalf of the Cherry Grove Archives Collection. “As you walk around this exhibition, we hope you will become aware of the joyous freedom of expression that LGBTQ people demonstrate in so many of these photographs, remembering that pre-Stonewall 1950s was a time when persecution and prosecution ruled 
the lives of homosexuals in mainland America. Yet the 1950s was a richly creative historical period in Cherry Grove when gay and straight people worked and played together, whether in theatrical productions, costumed cocktail parties, annual balls, or a range of community-sponsored events.”
Safe/Haven: Gay Life in 1950s Cherry Grove is presented in conjunction with the Cherry Grove Archives Collection. Curated by Brian Clark, Susan Kravitz, and Parker Sargent for the Cherry Grove Archives Collection, it’s coordinated at New-York Historical by Rebecca Klassen, associate curator of material culture., associate curator of material culture. Throughout the exhibition, visitors can hear personal, recorded accounts from members of the Cherry Grove community about their experiences and memories; the audio will be accessible to visitors through their cell phones.
Safe/Haven: Gay Life in 1950s Cherry Grove May 14 – October 11, 2021 .Safe/Haven is a free, outdoor exhibition that takes place in our rear courtyard. (The entrance is on 76th St.) To maintain social distancing, book your timed-entry tickets on the special Safe/Haven ticketing site.
Be sure to also check out Kravitz’s own stunning book Mascara, Mirth & Mayhem: Independence Day on Fire Island, and her interview with Queerguru when her own exhibit opened at Stonewall Museum in Fort Lauderdale.
