Eric Fischl as Community Award recipient

The Board of the Sag Harbor Partnership is tremendously proud to honor Eric Fischl this year with its annual Community Service Award.

Eric has been a quiet, but visionary and committed leader in support of Sag Harbor Village. Eric understood that Sag Harbor has a long history in recreating itself from whaling days to an industrial village to a home for artists and writers. 

Eric understood that these evolutions come not from a place of foresight and perfection, but like Sag Harbor itself, they came from a place of intuition, hard work, courage … and hope.

With its raw spirit of grittiness intact Sag Harbor now stands, through Eric’s leadership, to enter another era, this time as a significant artistic hub. We are returning to being a village of makers … this time makers of the arts.

Through Eric’s dedication and actions, he has enhanced the lives of all Sag Harbor residents by saving, financially supporting, and creating vibrant cultural venues. These institutions also contribute to Sag Harbor‘s economic vitality. 

Without his early commitment to the restoration of the Sag Harbor Cinema, the fundraising effort would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible. His financial support, together with April, of Steinbeck House helped preserve an important piece of the village’s literary history while also creating a space for future authors to breathe, think, and write. 

And perhaps most importantly, Eric’s vision for The Church preserved a magnificent historic building where dynamic, innovative artistic creators are becoming an integral part of our cultural life.