The Ice Palace Resort
Curated by Fire Island Pines Historical Preservation Society
Exhibition at The Ice Palace Resort
July 9 – September 9, 2022
Monday through Thursday, 8AM – 12PM
Friday through Sunday, 8AM – 2AM
Opening Reception and book signing- Sat., July 9, 5 – 7pm
With great pride, Fire Island Pines Historical Preservation Society presents Souvenirs Fire Island 1970s: The Photography of Meryl Meisler, installed at the Ice Palace Resort, home of the Ice Palace Nightclub, a Fire Island staple since the 1950s and the location of several iconic images on display.
Meryl Meisler grew up in the 1950s & the 60s on North Massapequa, Long Island. Souvenirs Fire Island 1970 will be the first exhibition dedicated to Meryl's exhilarating Fire Island photos and her first solo show on Long Island.
At Girl Scout Camp Edey in Bayport, LI, Meryl's troop did a overnight beach sleepover. Girl Scouts whispered stories of Fire Island, where naked Faeries lived in little houses with cute names like 'Shirley Temple'. Meryl looked far into the ocean, trying hard to get a glimpse of faeries, but didn't see any.
While partying at Studio54, Meryl befriended a trans woman named Alexis, who introduced her to Rita, through whom she met Barnett, a Manhattan beautician with a summer home in Cherry Grove. Barnett invited Meryl to stay a weekend in his attic bedroom of ‘The Survivor’. Meryl quickly realized she had found the island with naked faeries. Barnet welcomed Meryl and her friend JudiJupiter to come anytime, and they did until he sold ‘The Survivor’ in 1979. Fortunately, Meryl also brought her camera and captured the sexy, free-spirited post-Stonewall, pre-AIDS summers on Cherry Grove and The Pines.
