How a disabled Long Island artist created a safe haven of expression
Art is a form of expression that takes infinite shapes and forms. Art is an escape from social and societal bindings, and allows for the artist to have full control of their creative ambition. However, more than anything else, it is to be appreciated and conceived by anyone who wishes to do so. While the world is quick to judge based on appearance, origin or status, art welcomes all, with no invitation needed.
In the case of Erich Preis, diagnosed with Autism and Bipolar disorder, there were many times where the world wasn’t very welcoming of him. “From a young age I was bullied and made fun of at school. As someone who had a difficult time expressing themself and fitting in socially, I was made an easy target to be picked on and teased.” Growing up through a time before programs and mandates were enforced throughout school systems, it was difficult for many in Preis’s position to feel accepted in their day-to-day education.
Early in his life, he developed a deep passion for art, which acted as a mode of expression without judgment. “I began drawing as a young child, and by the time I was 12, I was able to sketch the human figure. The art I was able to create at the Huntington School of Fine Arts gave me a way out, even though I felt I still had a long way to go artistically.”
Erich truly began to hone his skills at F.I.T, where he was given guidance by his professors, who he says “pushed him to do his best work.” While at F.I.T, Erich still struggled socially and personally, but was pushed to keep pursuing his passion by his roommate Michael Noeth. Michael, who was the president of the school’s craft center, saw Preis’s talent and allowed for him to set up a small studio inside of the craft center’s space.
Once Erich fully dedicated himself to his work, he found art as a place of shelter in the midst of his very hectic and dark mindspace. “To this day, I am most at peace when I’m creating a piece. It’s this natural high that I have a really hard time putting into words.” When the two friends graduated in 1994, Erich would go on to earn a degree in art therapy at C.W. post, while Noeth chose to join the navy.
With that degree, Erich began to teach art to challenged and at-risk high school students, while also creating and selling commissions on the side. “I know how it felt to feel really out of place, and unsure about my potential and place within the world, so I wanted to give to kids what art gave to me.”
In 2001, he received horrifying news, finding out that his dear friend was stationed in the Pentagon, when American Airlines Flight 77 was hijacked, killing 125 lives in the crash, including Michael’s. This, along with his familial connections to the armed services, inspired Preis to raise money for the families of fallen veterans through paintings he made in tribute to those who died in the service. He would also teach art to veterans as a form of therapy while continuing to work with children. “Michael’s passing gave me extra ambition to create art, because I know that he would never want me to quit on my passion,” Erich said.
In 2011, with collaboration from Michael Kitakis and a host of others, he opened the Spirit of Huntington Art Center. The non-for-profit’s mission is to deliver engaging art classes to those with special needs, as well as veterans. “For years I wanted to create a space where kids and adults who had disabilities of any variety could come and create art, and give to those kids what I wish I had growing up.”
Michael Kitakis, as well as his wife’s close friends Diane Young and Marina Didomenico, worked diligently with Preis, being heavily inspired by his dream, as their own children had developmental disabilities of their own. Those three kids made up the group’s first few classes, of which I was a part of at the age of 11. “I wanted to help create an environment for kids and adults alike that I would want my own boys to feel safe in. I know the power that artistic expression has, and I think that so many people, not just those with special needs, can benefit from it.
The building itself actually carried quite a bit of historical significance, being what was formerly known as “Platt’s Tavern,” the site of which George Washington gave several speeches during the American Revolutionary War. On its walls were stunning murals of the United States’ first president, painted by Preis himself. But before Erich was able to lease it, it sat in front of Huntington Village as an abandoned gas station.
While the organization has since moved locations, 10 years later, the Spirit of Huntington Art Center has over 250 active students. Kitakis, the center’s executive director, has been able to greatly expand its reach to those throughout Long Island. “We regularly collaborate with several schools and special needs programs, and have classes of children and adults from all over the island. And so many of the students who come here end up making friends that they never would’ve had the chance to. It’s a really special thing.”
At a recent art auction event, hosted by the Spirit of Huntington Art center, Erich looked in awe, as he saw his dream realized. “We have so many people now who believe in what we’re doing, and are glad to be a part of it. And what they’re supporting is an opportunity for art to touch the lives of anyone who walks through those doors, as it did mine. Anyone who walks in there, regardless of what challenges they may have, will be welcomed with open arms, and that’s what I’ve always wanted.” Erich and I proceeded to walk around the building, packed with students, staff, and local government officials, as we reminisced on the very first class that took place in a small, cold gas station.