Eric Fischl Revealed as Angel Donor in Sag Harbor Cinema Arts Center Project

The Sag Harbor Partnership has announced that the Sag Harbor Cinema Arts Center’s anonymous angel donor is renowned sculptor and painter Eric Fischl. The Sag Harbor-based artist was first to sign on in support of the project with a $1 million pledge to repair and relaunch the center, and is now coming forward to speak about the project.

Fischl said in a release:

The arts have been a part of Sag Harbor since its earliest days, and unlike the other Hamptons, it has always been a maker of things valuable to an economy greater than its small borders. From building ships, weaving rope, making silverware and watchcases, building torpedoes for the war effort, and ultimately building components for our mission to the moon, Sag Harbor makes stuff—important stuff. The character of its inhabitants reflects this quality. They are resourceful and they are flexible. As one industry fades, they adapt to new ones. When I saw that gaping hole in the middle of my village, I felt that the void was now inside me. I felt I had lost access to the magical portal that had been right there, right there in the middle of my town that could take me anywhere. The cinema played such an integral role as part of the community, and I simply can’t let it leave. We all want to get it back, and I won’t give up without knowing we did everything we could to save something so precious to the nature of this town.

The project must raise $6 million by July 1. Other supporters so far include Billy Joel, Martin Scorsese, Andy Cohen and Harvey Weinstein. The total cost for the purchase of the cinema is $8 million.

The Sag Harbor Cinema was nearly destroyed in a fire over the winter. The Sag Harbor Partnership is in contract to buy the damaged theater from its longtime owner.

For more information, visit sagharborcinema.org.