About

We put on events/shows/art/theater in Fire Island Pines.

About

We put on massive events/shows/art/theater In a beach town, Fire Island Pines, on Long Island NY which has a predominantly LGBTQ+ population.

Our mission

The mission of the Fire Island Pines Arts Project, a non profit organization, is to be integral to the creative life of our community and to aspire, though the production of accessible quality performing and fine arts events and activities, to reflect and encourage our community’s cultural vitality.

A history of the arts project

David Baker, pianist and composer of Broadway musical scores, wrote and produced musicals in the Pines. Working with FIPPOA, he wrote and staged “Pines Needles” in 1981. Bill Henckley, David’s partner, designed and built sets for those early shows.  Sylvan Cole, an internationally recognized art dealer who helped foster the explosion of printmaking and print collecting in the Unites States, was also a historic figure in the growth of the arts in the Pines. John Laub painted landscapes in Fire Island and throughout the northeast. John, working with FIPPOA, produced art shows in the Pines. Tired of working with FIPPOA, David, Bill, Sylvan, and John, founded the Fire Island Pines Arts Project in the summer of 1986. Setting up a table in the harbor on Labor Day weekend, Bill and Sylvan sold membership in the nascent Arts Project. They raised three thousand dollars from Pines residents and FIPAP was born. With the mission to be integral to the creative life of our community and to aspire, through the production of accessible quality performing and fine arts events and activities, to reflect and encourage our community’s cultural vitality.

FIPAP’s first biennial art show, which continues today, featuring Pines artist, was produced by Sylvan at a bayfront home in 1987. The Arts Project range of events continues to grow and includes our annual musical, live performances by renown musicians, singers, and comedians, curated film exhibitions, artist salons, artist residencies, home and garden tours, and fashion shows. Most recently, in 2022, FIPAP, in association with New York Theatre Barn, ran a writers’ residency workshop called Barn on Fire.  It was a huge success and garnered national recognition.  Click here for information on our 2023 programs.

A history of the arts project

The Fire Island Pines Arts Project has a long history of promoting and highlighting the arts – both its enthusiasts and its practitioners. Sylvan Cole and David Baker founded FIPAP over 25 years ago offering musical revenues and shows which tapped into the wealth of artistic talent attracted to the pines. From that beginning FIPAP grew to produce and present an even greater variety of performing arts events and in 1985 introduced the first of its celebrated biennial art shows featuring local visual artists. The arts project’s range of events continued to grow to include live performances by renowned musicians, singers, and comedians, curated film exhibitions, and artist salons. FIPAP offers cooking classes taught by pines chefs and hosted its first arts and design show. FIPAP also has a proud record of supporting and contributing to other pines organizations and has been a key contributor to the building and furnishing of the Whyte Hall community center.

Board of Directors - 2023

Andre Almeida

Steven Alan Black (President)

Rob Innes (Secretary)

David Kneuss

Nicole LaFountaine (Treasurer)

Teresa Lovito

Denise Lucy

Vinnie Petrarca

Bradford Price

Mark Ricigliano (Vice President)

Jim Vandernoth

Lenny Vanella

Luis Villabon

JD Winston

Legacy Board Members

R. Scott Bromley

Lou Bullock

Richard Des Jardins

Laura Hartstein

David Ratcliffe

Albert Russo

Michael Savino

Ariadne C. Villarreal

Glen Wielgus

In Memoriam

David Baker

Sylvan Cole

Mary Cole

Jack Lichtenstein

Rita Lichtenstein

Tony LaRocco

Gilbert Parker

Barbara Sahlman

Susan Willis

Lorem Ipsum

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry

Lorem Ipsum

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry

Follow us on Instagram