Retirement Decision Difficult for
Art Teacher Amy Worth
Amy Worth’s daily commute is about to get a lot shorter. The Huntington High School art teacher lives in Orient, an area on Suffolk’s North Fork that in many ways time has simply forgotten. It’s about 75 miles away, much of it along a road that’s one lane in each direction.
Earlier this spring, Mrs. Worth announced that she planned to retire at the end of the current school year. It caught many of her colleagues and students off guard.
Mrs. Worth and her husband, Tom Payne opened an art gallery and framing shop in Greenport in 2008. The South Street Gallery (www.thesouthstreetgallery.com) has become a popular place as its reputation has grown. “It’s been my summer and weekend focus and will now be full time work,” the Huntington teacher said.
Mrs. Worth obtained an undergraduate degree at Queens College and a master’s degree at Long Island University. She has worked closely with fellow Huntington art faculty colleague Kristin Singer as the two helped organize and give rise to the school’s fashion design and illustration program.
It really shouldn’t come as a surprise that Mrs. Worth is an owner of an art gallery in an historic seaside town. It fits perfectly with who she is and what she loves in life.
“The gallery is in a turn of the century building that was formerly a horse drawn fire house and town hall,” Mrs. Worth said. “It has two floors of exhibition and workshop space. We host a variety of summer classes with artists working in a variety of different styles and mediums. We have life drawing on Tuesdays throughout the year. I will continue my teaching there. I look forward to focusing on the gallery as well as doing some more of my own work; painting, collage and fashion.”
Leaving her classes and the high school she has called home for more than a decade isn’t easy for the dedicated educator. “Deciding to retire was one of the hardest decisions I’ve made in my life,” Mrs. Worth said. “I will miss my students and everyone I’ve had the great pleasure of working with in my 12 years at Huntington High School. I am not counting the days, but rather savoring what’s left!”