FIRE ISLAND LGBTQ ARTIST RESIDENCY HOME DESTROYED IN FIRE
A fire early this morning in the hamlet of Cherry Grove on Fire Island, New York has burned down the Holly House, home of the Fire Island Artist Residency. Several other buildings, including the historic Ice Palace nightclub, were also damaged in the fire, according to CBS News.
“The dynamic that FIAR’s cofounders Chris Bogia and Evan Garza foster among the visiting artists and the queer artists-in-residence is a strength of their program,” Alex Fialho wrote when covering events at the residency last summer for artforum.com.
“Holly House was our beloved home,” Bogia said in a statement today. “FIAR (yes, it’s pronounced like “fire”) is here to stay. I don’t know what it will look like this summer, and I don’t yet know the specifics of how it will happen, but I know we will get through it, and someday it will be just another anecdote in our strange and fabulous history. The world’s first residency for LGBTQ artists is still here.”
FIAR is now directing those who are looking to help to the organization’s online art auction, which launched last week on Paddle8.
