Sylvester Manor / March — Summer Youth | CSA | Call For Sculptors | Shakespeare | Updates ….

Summer Youth Program Registration is Open

Get your kids outside this summer! We have all kinds of outdoor programs for kids ages 2-14 years old. These include the Traditional Youth Program, Fig & Forest Culinary, Forest Theatre, STEM, and OWLS (Outdoor Wilderness Living Skills). Some weeks are already full with a wait list so make sure to sign up today so your child doesn’t miss out!

CSA Registration Ongoing

Help us fund our farm operations by signing up today for a CSA share! The money you give now enables us to start planting seeds, heat the greenhouses and cover overhead expenses to prepare for the upcoming season. The 21-week produce share includes flowers, a rotation of vegetables, berries and unlimited herbs. We also have a farmstand credit, which is a great option for those who don’t want to commit to the CSA, but still want to enjoy farm-fresh produce.

Farm Update

It’s barely even March and we’re already thinking about the summer. One of our greenhouses has been planted with tomatoes and other seeding is underway. We’ve hired another great group of farm apprentices who will be starting in mid-March, joining our current staff of on-island farmers. Early season farm improvement projects include constructing a new wash/pack station, repairing existing greenhouses, trellising and pruning lots of berries and making sure our farm vehicles and equipment are ready for another year. The Farmstand will open again in early May and CSA shares are selling fast. We can’t wait for another successful growing season!

Friday Night Dialogues: Unearthing the Past of Sylvester ManorJoin Nedra Lee, Ph.D., archaeologist and associate professor at UMass Boston, Fiske Center, for an engaging discussion about the fascinating anthropological and historical research conducted at the Afro-Indigenous Burial Ground at Sylvester Manor. The presentation, part of the Shelter Island Public Library’s Friday Night Dialogue Series, will provide an overview of the work done on the Manor grounds, dating back to the first archaeological dig in 1997, and the research projects scheduled in the future.

Ms. Lee will present a slide show and discuss the digitization project of the artifacts found at Sylvester Manor. She will also discuss exciting projects including the possibility of another farmhouse on the property and documenting surviving descendants from the Afro-Indigenous communities.

March 7
7:00pm
Nature Conservancy Education Building at Mashomack Preserve
Free to attend; preregistration is suggested

Sculpture @ Sylvester Manor: Call for Artists Sculpture @ Sylvester Manor, an outdoor exhibition of sculptures, installations and artistic expressions, will take place on our historic landscape for the second year, from June 14 to September 13. The exhibition will engage a diverse spectrum of artists local to the East End of Long Island. Artists are invited to interpret and reflect on Sylvester Manor’s history in their proposals. Selected artists can install an existing piece, create an on-site work from imported materials, or create an artwork realized from organic material gathered at Sylvester Manor, which will biodegrade back into the landscape.

Exhibition curator and organizer Tom Cugliani brings his extensive expertise in the contemporary art world to the project, as well as a lifelong history with Shelter Island and Sylvester Manor. Local artists are invited to submit proposals by visual and/or written documentation by March 15, 2025.

Save the Date: Farm to Table

Mark your calendars now and join us at the 12th Annual Farm to Table Benefit. More details to be announced soon.

For information or to pre-reserve your table, please click here to email Alyse Clark, Development Manager.

June 28
6-10:30pm
Creekside at the Manor

Save the Date: Shakespeare at the Manor

Get ready for another magical weekend of Shakespeare this summer! We welcome back Allen O’Reilly and his talented group of actors as they entertain us with one of Shakespeare’s most frequently performed comedies, Much Ado About Nothing. Stay tuned for ticket information.

Much Ado About Nothing 

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July 26-27
Manor Grounds

Manor House Preservation Update

We’ve been packing for nearly a year at the Manor House in preparation for construction and are pleased to report that small items throughout the house have been thoroughly inventoried and placed in secure storage. Here’s an image from our Vault with boxes of packed goods in the foreground and the cabinet they came from in the background. It illustrates how much space the items take up once wrapped in layers of tissue paper and boxed. Still, we are thrilled to see these shelves empty and continue the progress we have been making all over the house.