South Shore Artists Group

The South Shore Artists Group had its beginnings in 1945 when an artist named Thea Wilbur Olsen and a few friends got together to paint in Wolf’s Pond Park for the benefit of Richmond Memorial Hospital. They met each Tuesday, weather permitting and moved indoors when winter came. Their first exhibit was held at the Chevrolet dealership on Main Street in Tottenville in 1946 and was very well received. In no time at all the membership began to rise.

​While many of today’s members have art backgrounds, others are self taught. Each brings his or her own style to SSAG and everyone is genuinely supportive of each other. The members meet regularly on Tuesdays, as they have since the beginning, to discuss artistic process, to create and to learn from each other as well as guest artists.  
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SSAG exhibits in such places as Conference House Park, the Art Lab, the Staten Island Zoo, St. John’s University and various Staten Island libraries and restaurants. Most importantly, the artists of SSAG are friends just like the original members were 70 years ago.