Coastal Heritage Society's Art & Oysters event raises funds for Pin Point Heritage Museum

In 1896, after a series of hurricanes devastated Ossabaw and Skidaway Islands, a group of formerly enslaved families pooled their money and purchased 600 coastal acres adjacent to Moon River, then known as the Back River. There, as freed people they fished, farmed, went to church and school, and continued living their Gullah Geechee heritage. Known as the Pin Point Community, many descendants of the original land purchasers still call it home today.

Also situated within the close-knit marshside society is the former A.S. Varn and Son Oyster and Crab Factory, restored roughly 13 years ago and now serving as the Pin Point Heritage Museum.

The Museum, managed by the Coastal Heritage Society, hosts its annual “Art and Oysters” fundraiser, Thursday, March 21, at 9924 Pin Point Avenue in Savannah. The evening gets underway at 6 p.m. and runs until 9 p.m. with live music, an oyster roast and silent art auction. Tickets are $75 for CHS members and $100 for non-members. All proceeds support Pin Point Heritage Museum and its educational outreach programs.

The night highlights Pin Point-local business, A Taste of Heaven Catering, providing oysters and a range of seafood and Southern-inspired side dishes. Attendees can learn more about the museum while mingling with artists whose works are up for bid in the auction.

Highly regarded oil painter and Savannah native, Bellamy Murphy, contributes often to the annual affair. Murphy grew up on the water nearby, fishing and casting nets with her grandfather. The Pin Point community holds a special place in her heart.

“I love this event because you get to see remnants of a beautiful history that is still very much alive,” contemplated Murphy. “I love being able to give back to this special community with my art, and I appreciate how the night is a welcoming space to talk with people about life on the marsh.”

In years prior, Murphy has painted a range of coastal tableaux, while last year she created a portrait of a woman shucking oysters. Currently, she is making a Pin Point-inspired landscape, which she anticipates will sell for upwards of $2,000 as her works have routinely in the past.

For Pin Point resident Gail Smith, growing up, her community taught a way of life different from American culture. In her community she learned to rely on her family and neighbors and to place absolute faith in God.  She learned to stick with the people closest to her. From Smith’s perspective, Pin Point was a place her ancestors bought, as “useless waterfront property, that they turned it into a community so that they could leave an inheritance for their families.”

Smith considers the annual fundraiser an important part of keeping key parts of the American story alive as well as an opportunity to meet new people and learn from one another.

“It helps support the deep roots of Gullah Geechee people and our culture. It also serves as a gathering place where people from all walks of life can communicate and enjoy each other’s company.

For Nora Lee, chief executive officer of CHS, the fundraiser is opportunity to work within a local community’s far-reaching history. A lifelong Savannahian, Lee took a position with CHS as operations manager at the Georgia State Railroad Museum. For several years she did everything from taking out the trash to running the gift shop and booking special events before settling into her current role.

“Every single day I am learning something new about the places we are interpreting,” said Lee. “In Pin Point, CHS works closely with residents. Some youths have had their first jobs with us and have gone on to higher education and are doing great work in the world. We are very sensitive to make sure we are telling the stories of a community that is very much alive and who are neighbors.”

Sharon McIntosh, another revered artist, regularly creates work for the event. A Savannah native who has been painting since the age of eight, her refined style often portrays marsh and nautical scenes in oils reminiscent of a polaroid photo—simultaneously muted yet strikingly bold in color. She’s been painting scenes at Pin Point for much of her life.

“Being involved in this is being supportive of Gullah history and community,” emphasized McIntosh. “It’s very important to support this community, and it’s such a blast that we as artists get to come and be part of such an important event. Of course, it’s fun but also humbling.”

Local artists also contributing to the silent auction include Ann Lutz, Irene Mayo, Jennifer Nolan, Jim cone, Marc Hanson, Amelia Jamerson and Dottie Leatherwood. Most will be in attendance mingling and speaking about their work during the event. The fundraiser also has an online donation portal for more to support the museum’s mission of education and cultural heritage.

If You Go >>

What: “Art and Oysters” annual Coastal Heritage Society fundraiser for Pin Point Heritage Museum

When: 6 to 9 p.m., Thursday, March 21

Where: Pin Point Heritage Museum, 9924 Pin Point Ave., Savannah

Tickets: $75 CHS members, $100 non-members, shop.chsgeorgia.org

Info: Pin Point Heritage Museum, chsgeorgia.org/PHM

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: coastal heritage society holds art oysters fundraiser for pin point heritage museum