Eye On The Arts, April 23

Bill Bleyer, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and former staff writer for Newsday, will bring little known aspects of Long Island’s maritime history to life in a virtual presentation on Tuesday, April 28, at 6 p.m. on his latest book, “Long Island and the Sea: A Maritime History.”

Sponsored by the Amagansett Library, Bleyer’s talk will cover the development of submarines and torpedoes tested in local waters, the landing of Pan Am Clippers in Port Washington, the adventures of Thomas Welcome Roys, the first captain to hunt whales in the Arctic Ocean, lesser known East End lighthouses, and Theodore Roosevelt and his relationship with the water.

Bleyer is also the author of “Sagamore Hill: Theodore Roosevelt’s Summer White House,” “Fire Island Lighthouse: Long Island’s Welcoming Beacon,” and co-author with Harrison Hunt of “Long Island and the Civil War.”

To reserve your spot for the virtual presentation, email director@amagansettlibrary.org for the online Zoom meeting link.

Our Fabulous Variety Show has announced it will host a Virtual Variety Show on Saturday, April 25, at 7 p.m. in support of the arts nonprofit. The event will feature performers including musician Josh Brussell, aerialist Laura Haley, drag queens RaffaShow (Danny Ximo) and Naomi (Robert Kohnken), Broadway baby Emma Han, comedian Tyler Fischer, singer Lucy Caracappa-Gordon, and many more.

To donate and receive a link to the variety show, visit facebook.com/ourfabulousvarietyshow.

The nonprofit also continues virtual rehearsals and casting for its sixth annual production of TAP: An Evening of Rhythm.

Directed by Anita Boyer, the show celebrates the diversity of and tells the history of the American dance art form of Tap. The show was created in April 2015 as a Guild Hall JDT Lab by Ms. Boyer, and this presentation will be at Guild Hall, with a date yet to be announced. The cast had been able to meet for one rehearsal in person before the COVID-19 threat forced the producers to shut down rehearsals.

“Now, more than ever, we need a show and we need to dance. The tap show is a great outlet for so many of our cast members. When we decided to restructure the process and postpone the show, I called each parent individually. I wanted to touch base with everyone, not just about the show, but about their lives in this sudden and new ‘normal’ in which we have found ourselves. I was overwhelmed at how grateful each and every parent was to know that we were soldiering on with the show. They said being able to connect and have something to work on and look forward to is so important to them and their kids,” Boyer said.

The nonprofit is inviting anyone who would like to join the production to email them at ourfabulousvarietyshow@gmail.com or call 631-507-4603.

In an article published recently in artnet.com that prompted responses from around the world, cultural strategist András Szántó suggested the urgency of museums to lead the way to reopen as soon as is safely possible, providing a haven in a time of trauma and disruption and signaling a return to normalcy.

In a live-stream conversation with Parrish Art Museum Director Terrie Sultan on Friday, April 24, at 5 p.m., Szántó will discuss the critical need for the arts in periods of crisis, a practical plan for the reopening of museums, and the long-term changes in their role and function. The talk, open to the public and part of the Museum’s Friday Nights Live! series, will be followed by a live chat with Szántó and Sultan.

“Every museum right now, including the Parrish, is thinking about how soon it can open its doors to the public, and more broadly, what it will mean to be a museum when things return to ‘the new abnormal,’” said Szántó. “For the art world, as for all other walks of life, this moment presents not only urgent, complex, practical challenges to tackle, but it also causes us to think deeply about our greater purposes and long-term contributions to society.”

To sign up for Friday Nights Live! series, or any of The Parrish’s online programming, please visit parrishart.org.

Rachel Feldman, a Sag Harbor-based barre instructor, will be featured on the brand new website by women for women, Girls Nite In Online. On Thursday, April 23, at 7:30 a.m. and at 10:30 a.m., Feldman will offer a 30-minute barre workout through Zoom, suitable for beginners and for barre enthusiasts eager to get back to their favorite workout. According to Feldman, barre combines the fundamentals of ballet, Pilates, yoga and strength training to sculpt muscles and strengthen the entire body, while stretching to help increase flexibility and range of motion.

Girls Nite In Online is a free online platform designed to provide an opportunity for talented fitness instructors, chefs, mixologists, makeup artists, hairdressers, artists, life coaches, etc., many of whom are currently out of work but ready to offer their expertise to entertain, support and instruct women stuck at home for the duration. GNI features 30-minute workout classes and a variety of other kinds of workshops supported by voluntary donations through each presenter’s Venmo “Virtual Tip Jar.” GNI takes no fees from the donations to the workshop leader.

Certified as a personal trainer by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), Feldman is a barre instructor, a prenatal yoga instructor and a pre-and-post-natal exercise specialist.

To learn more, visit gnionline.com.