New Art Gallery Opening At Walt Whitman HS In South Huntington

SOUTH HUNTINGTON, NY — Walt Whitman High School is set to debut its brand new art gallery space for student-artists on Saturday, the South Huntington School District announced.

The annual Fine Art and Crafts Fair that's been held at the high school since 2001 is scheduled for the same day.

Named after the former Walt Whitman art teacher who first proposed the idea and has been the biggest fundraiser for the space, the Vicki L. Dollin Art Gallery is a new construction next to the Performing Arts Center (PAC).

"The naming of the gallery was an unexpected but amazing honor I will always be grateful for," Dollin said in a news release.

During her 16 years of teaching art at Walt Whitman, Dollin always wanted a three-dimensional showcase space to display students’ artwork in all mediums including ceramics and sculpture. Using her previous experience in event planning, Dollin started the Fine Art and Crafts Fair specifically to raise money for an Art Development Fund to build an art gallery at the high school. Now, 22 years later, her dream is a reality.

The opening features the works of five former South Huntington art teachers including Dollin, Verna Amakawa, Paula Beck, Carol Davis, and Mary Ponte.

The craft fair has become recognized for its level of handmade artwork as a standard and has become well-known for that among craft lovers on Long Island and throughout the tri-state area. Some out-of-state vendors come every year from as far as New Hampshire.

The Fine Art and Crafts Fair is being held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday at Walt Whitman High School, at 301 West Hills Road, Huntington Station. Admission is free.

More than 100 professional artists and craftspeople will be selling paintings, photography, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, wooden items, florals, handbags, clothing, toys, dolls and other handmade gifts. There will be snacks and food sold to raise money for the South Huntington Educational Foundation.

All proceeds from the fair will benefit the Art Development Fund, a non-profit fund that helps to support the arts at Walt Whitman High School and arts scholarships.