Mission
Long Island Traditions documents local architecture, from beach bungalows and bay houses to garden apartments and farm buildings. As fishermen and farmers disappear, we fight for the preservation of Long Island's contemporary maritime and farming culture throughout the region.
To recognize and pay tribute to Long Island's diverse ethnic cultures, we support Irish stepdance, African American quilting, gospel and blues music, Jewish klezmer music, Native American stories and crafts, and the traditions of recent immigrants from Central and South America, India and Asia.
Through field interviews and oral histories, we seek to break down the barriers that divide us, so that we can share in the power and excellence of our family traditions.
Long Island Traditions is a certified a silver star member of Guidestar.

Nancy Solomon
received her M.A. degree in American Studies & Folklife Studies from George Washington University. She is the Executive Director of Long Island Traditions. Solomon is the author of Boat Building and Boat Yards of Long Island: A Tribute to Tradition, On the Bay: Bay Houses & Maritime Culture of Long Island, West Meadow Beach: A Portrait of a Long Island Beach Community and Traditional Architecture of Long Island: A Teacher Resource Guide. She is a columnist for Voices published by New York Folklore and the Encyclopedia of American Studies Online. She is the curator of “Waterfront Heroes,” “In Harm’s Way” “Freeport Waters” along Freeport’s Nautical Mile, co-curator of “From Shore to Shore: Boat Builders and Boatyards of Long Island and Westchester”, and curator of “Sandy Shores: The creation of Jones Beach”, an outdoor permanent exhibit at Jones Beach. She was the primary advisor to filmmaker Glenn Gebhard 1994 documentary “Baymen” and the 2020 film “A World Within a World: Bay Houses of Long Island” which aired on PBS. She was the historic preservation consultant to the Village of Great Neck Plaza and the the Village of Rockville Centre, and the maritime culture consultant to the South Shore Estuary Reserve. Solomon has lectured extensively on historic preservation and documentation methods for Columbia University’s Historic Preservation Program and area colleges.

Melissa Carey
Melissa Carey is LI Traditions' program manager. She comes from a background in the Health and Beauty industry, a well-seasoned veteran of product formulation, development, manufacturing, distribution and marketing. Melissa is a longtime and adoring resident of the Port Washington, LI bay life where, having raised two beautiful daughters, she enthusiastically turns her focus to giving back to the community by joining the Long Island Traditions organization. When she’s not dreaming up and creating all-natural healing remedies, she spends her free time with either music and a paintbrush, or her guitar.
Board Members





well as collected by private people, corporations and museums here and abroad. His subjects included the historic bay houses of the south shore, scenic landscapes of Long Island’s coast, and wildlife of the south shore. Pollera’s work was published by Fairfield Art Publishing and Coastal Publications in New York. His works became part of the collections the Parrish Museum in Water Mill, Guild Hall Museum in East Hampton, the LI Museum in Stony Brook, on the cover of Dan’s Magazine, and various art galleries in the region. Pollera resided in Baldwin. He passed away in March 2022.

