The Preservation Long Island recently raised over $145,000 for Long Island conservation at a gala held along the water at the Webb Institute in Glen Cove.
U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi presented the nonprofit with congressional recognition for its 76 years of dedication to its mission at the celebration, which over 200 members attended.
“Our annual benefit party venues are selected to showcase Long Island’s diverse architectural history,” said Michelle Elliott Gokey, Preservation Long Island president. “This year, we were thrilled to host our Benefit Party guests at such a fine example of inventive new design in the service of historic preservation.”
Preservation Long Island is the region’s only nonprofit dedicated to historic preservation.
Attendees were offered tours of “The Braes,” the original building of the Webb Institute, and enjoyed a 270° view of the Long Island Sound.
According to its website, PLI’s mission is to “celebrate and preserve Long Island’s diverse cultural and architectural heritage through advocacy, education and stewardship of historic sites and collections.”
Funds raised will go towards PLI’s long-term initiatives, such as the Jupiter Hammon Project. The project aims to recognize Jupiter Hammon, an enslaved Long Islander who was one of the earliest published Black authors.
PLI announced its new exhibit following the exhibit. It will open Friday, Aug. 16, and will feature Long Island artist Edward Lange.
“Promoting Long Island: The Art of Edward Lange” showcases the life and artwork of one of the region’s most prominent artists. The exhibit will be showcased at the PLI Exhibition Gallery, located at 161 Main St. in Cold Spring Harbor.
“Lange’s artwork represents a tangible connection to a period of Long Island’s history when its people, culture and landscape were undergoing rapid change,” said Elizabeth Abrams, Preservation Long Island’s interim executive director.
The exhibit is open to the public from Aug. 16 through Dec. 1.
Peter Fedoryk, exhibition guest curator said, “In the late nineteenth century, Lange’s artwork had immense visual influence in the New York metropolitan area.”
“The artist’s views of Long Island towns, villages, landscapes and waterscapes have endeared themselves to Long Islanders and visitors for over 135 years,” said Abrams.
