QUIRKYVISION
PORTRAIT(S) – 10 ANS
LE RENDEZ-VOUS PHOTOGRAPHIQUE DE VICHY
Le Palais des Congrès de Vichy, France
June 24— September 4, 2022
Meryl will be present in Vichy on June 24th and 25th.
Meryl Meisler’s QUIRKYVISION will be installed at Le Palais des Congrès de Vichy during the PORTRAIT(S) – 10 ANS, LE RENDEZ-VOUS PHOTOGRAPHIQUE DE VICHY, from June 24 through September 4, 2022.
Impertinent and humorous, Meryl Meisler plunges us into a captivating city and times, 1970s and 1980s New York. Her shots celebrate disco evenings and strip-tease clubs, her Jewish family and Long Island suburb, or life in a public school in one of the roughest Brooklyn neighborhoods.
Inspired by Diane Arbus and Jacques-Henri Lartigue, Meryl, who was born in 1951, studied with legendary photographer Lisette Model while documenting her own life, with her camera screwed to her quirky eye. It was only when she retired from being a teacher in 2010 that she began releasing her archives, which led to the creation of this event. As a time capsule of New York in the seventies and eighties, her shots are a simultaneous celebration of discos and strip clubs, her Jewish family and Long Island suburb, or NYC public school life in one of Brooklyn’s toughest neighborhoods. Impertinent and comical, Meryl captures in black and white or color moments of pure joy at the center of daily hardships, plunging us into a fascinating time and city.
Curated by Fire Island Pines Historical Preservation Society
Ice Palace Resort Office Gallery – 1 Ocean Walk, Cherry Grove, Fire Island, NY
July 9 – September 9, 2022
Mon. through Thurs., 8AM – 12PM, Fri. through Sun., 8AM – 2AM
Meryl will be present for a reception & book signing on Saturday, 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 grew up in the 1950s & the 60s on North Massapequa, Long Island. At Girl Scout Camp Edey in Bayport, LI, Meryl’s troop did a beach overnight 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 naked faeries. Barnett 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.
Fire Island Pines Historical Preservation Society curated the exhibit from her books New York PARADISE LOST Bushwick Era Disco (2021), Purgatory and Paradise SASSY ’70s Suburbia & The City (2015), and A Tale of Two Cities Disco Era Bushwick (2014). Some images in the exhibit have never been published nor seen before.
On Fire Island Souvenir Day, July 9th, Meryl will be present for a reception and book signing, 5 – 7 pm.
Upcoming Presentations & Workshops
HUNDRED HEROINES in conversation with Meryl Meisler
Wednesday 6th July at 18:00 (BST) 13:00 (EST).
Register for the free online event.
Miami Street Photography Festival “The Streets of New York”
A street photography workshop with Meryl Meisler
September 14 – 18, 2022, in NY, NY
More information here
Los Angeles Center for Photography Workshop
Revive Your Archive: Find, Polish and Share the Gems with Meryl Meisler
(Online Learning – Six Sessions), Oct. 12 – Nov. 16, 2022
More information here.
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