The work of Susan Ann Thornton, founder of the Artist Tour of Cherry Grove, graces our cover this issue. This year, it will take place on the weekend of June 13, starting with a Silent Auction benefiting Dune Fund at the Community House from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., followed by a self-guided walking tour of artists’ home studios on Saturday and Sunday.
Fire Island News (FIN): I know you as the founder of the Artist Tour of Cherry Grove. How did that come about?
Susan Ann Thornton (SAT): I was talking with fellow artist friend, Douglas Topper, and agreed that we would like to have more visibility as artists here. Nobody was showing, except at the Arts Project of Cherry Grove’s group exhibition weekend. Since I won’t be here in July and August, I felt alternatives were needed. Douglas suggested opening a gallery, but you need someone to manage it and pay the rent. I said, ‘How about we have a tour where every artist would be at their home, and it would be a Cherry Grove artist tour, or the artist tour of Cherry Grove.’ People would go from house to house, and we could provide a map, allowing us to sell our art autonomously. We had 10 people that first year. We will soon be hosting our 12th annual tour, featuring 26 participants. It’s getting a lot of momentum, to which I’m thrilled. We have painters, photographers, sculptors, ceramic artists, collage artists, and those working with mixed media. So, it’s expanding.
FIN: One of those expansions was your collaboration with the Dune Fund. Tell me more about that.
SAT: On Friday evening, before the tour weekend, we host a silent auction to benefit the Dune Fund of Cherry Grove. Participating artists donate pieces of their artwork for sale. It has become a great gathering and has been profitable in supporting our dune infrastructure. One year, we faced a severe nor’easter. I encountered Brian Clark and Troy Files on the beach, and they were collecting beach fencing that had come loose. They were concerned about the cost of replacing the dune fencing. So, I suggested the silent auction idea. Then, I asked the other artists if they were willing to do that. And so, it happened. The dunes are one of my passions, as I care deeply about this beautiful island where I’ve resided for 52 years.
FIN: Let’s talk about your cover painting, Radiant.
SAT: Well, my favorite time of year to be here is September to November. My buddies and I hang out at East Walk, and we watch the sunset. One day, the sunlight hit the ocean, casting a glow over the dunes. It was just one of those moments. So, I painted it. This year, I’m featuring a book of photography. It’s called Walking in Beauty, Cherry Grove. It’s a book of just photographs of sunrises and sunsets. That’s all it is. It’s a simple book, but I wanted to do it. It was my labor of love over the winter.
FIN: Can the book be purchased in shops around Cherry Grove, or is it available online?
SAT: No, I’m just selling it on the artist tour, or if someone wants to buy it, I can mail it to them.
FIN: What brought you to Fire Island?
SAT: It was a girlfriend. I was naive about it. I had heard about Fire Island, but my girlfriend said, ‘Hey, let’s go, my friend Michael has a house there.’ I was just 23 years old, but when I reached these shores, I said to myself, ‘I have to live here. This is my place. It has everything I want.’ Somebody said, ‘Well, dream on.’ So, I did; I kept dreaming. I saw myself as eventually owning a home here, so I took the route that most young people do. First, I shared with people, then rented, and later saved to buy. I’m so blessed and grateful to have my little city here.
FIN: I’ve noticed on the Facebook page, Cherry Grove Untucked, you’re taking pictures of people around the community, and that’s become a resource.
SAT: That started in 2004 when I began using a digital camera. I looked around my community and realized I was friends with some older people whom I knew wouldn’t be around much longer. I could just sense it. So, I began taking pictures. I called the project Families of Cherry Grove and went around photographing people as they lived as a family. Maybe two women and a dog, or three guys in the house, something like that. The project finished in 2010, and it was exhibited at the Community House. Later, I donated the file to the Cherry Grove Archives.
FIN: Susan, this is your interview. Is there anything else you would like to add that my questions haven’t covered?
SAT: I would like to say that my mission in doing this artist tour is to bring visibility to the visual arts in Cherry Grove. I was a high school art teacher, and I still have that teaching thing where I want to encourage and inspire people. I never want this artist tour to be curried. I receive artists sending me their resumes, and I want to say, ‘You could be an amateur.’ I don’t care. It’s all about community, showing your art, being in Cherry Grove, having a good time, and making some money. Some of us are professionals who need to earn a living by selling our art. However, I also encourage people who just dabble to join the tour. It just makes it so much more fun and inspiring for those who want to grow their talent, as well as for those who have been doing it for years and want to showcase their talent. So, that’s my mission. It’s a labor of love; I want to be helpful to the artists in this community. It’s much more of a sense of camaraderie than competition. I like my motto to be that collaboration equals evolution.
