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Arts & Entertainment

Ninety Years of Art and Still Going Strong

The Heckscher Museum of Art celebrates 90 years of art in Huntington.

The Heckscher Museum of Art officially turned 90 years old on Saturday, as more than 200 people turned out to celebrate the milestone.

"Before the rain came, we had about 225 people from the community here to help us commemorate such an important milestone," said Joy Weiner, the museum's director of education and public programs. "It was really nice for us and them."

The day's activities included many art projects for attendees of all ages, including a collage in the shape of the number 90. Face painting, caricature drawing and games were offered while a barber shop quartet performed songs from the 1920s to commemerate the time period in which the museum opened. Members of the community were also asked to share photos they had from past events at the museum which were then added to a photo display depicting the museum's long history as a Huntington landmark.

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And what made the day even better is that all of this was free of charge. The museum did, however, ask for those in attendance to donate non-perishable food to Long Island Cares, Inc., which had a table set up to collect donations in front of the fountain inside the museum.

Also inside, docents were enlightening patrons about the many different artists in the permanent collection, explaining how many artists were from Italy, France, Germany or other European countries. Outside, in the park, there were art activities, live music, games, as well as a raffle, at least until the rain forced all the activities inside.

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"We are so lucky to have such a fine place to see such exceptional works of art," said one Centerport resident named Beatrice, who said she has been coming to the museum for more than 30 years. "I started bringing my children here when they were young, and today they came with me and their children."

The celebration also included seven members of August Heckscher's family, whose donation of the building, the surrounding park and close to 100 pieces of art on July 10, 1920, brought the museum to life just under a century ago.

"Our school's mission statement is basically, with art you create a vibrant community," said Rob Zeller, director of the The Teaching Studios of Art in Oyster Bay and Brooklyn, who created live model portrait drawings during the event. "This is a good opportunity to help out the art community. And I am an American artist and this is an American museum."

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