If you lived through the 1970s, you know the decade was about more than orange shag carpets, platform shoes, avocado-colored walls, oversized Detroit-made “land yachts” and spinning Saturday Night Fever or Grease on vinyl. The completion of the Long Island Expressway was followed by the 1973 OPEC Oil Embargo; the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 became the 1776 Bicentennial – the period was layered and complex.
Across Long Island, social, political, and demographic shifts fueled cultural and artistic innovation, even as new questions and vulnerabilities emerged.
The Long Island Museum’s “Long Island in the ’70s” exhibit captures the era with fashions from the collections; a 1974 AMC Matador Station Wagon; toys and sports memorabilia; and artwork and photography reflecting the decade’s changes.
As the postwar boom in Levittown and Nassau County slowed, suburban growth moved east. Suffolk County’s population rose rapidly, especially in Huntington, Babylon, Islip, and Brookhaven.
Environmental activism led to legislation like the Suffolk County Farmland Preservation Act, as well as protests over the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant.
Meanwhile, Long Island developed a stronger regional identity, marked by the arrival of the New York Islanders at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, and a growing influx of artists on the Island east of the Shinnecock Canal.
Building on the museum’s popular exhibitions on the 1950s and 1960s, this latest exhibit brings together a wide range of art and artifacts — from clothing and paintings to photographs, music, and pop culture objects. Highlights include photography by Rick Kopstein, Meryl Meisler, and Joanne Mulberg.
Visitors can explore immersive displays, including a fully realized 1970s suburban living room, and a section on Long Island’s experiences during the end of the Vietnam War, with military uniforms, photographs, and shared stories—offering a vivid look at a decade that continues to shape life today.
The exhibit runs at the Long Island Museum through October 18th.
Take A Podcast Tour
The latest Long Island History Project podcast tours “Long Island in the ’70s” with Joshua Ruff, the Long Island Museum’s Co-Executive Director of Collections and Programming.
Ruff and his staff – notably collections manager Andrea Squeri – assembled the 1970s exhibit experience.
On the podcast with academic librarian host Chris Kretz he talks about items from the Station Wagon to a Coleco Telstar Arcade, and includes people ranging from Nelson Rockefeller to Canadian hockey player Denis Potvin.
The episode is available here.
The Long Island History Project is an independent podcast featuring stories and interviews with people passionate about Long Island history hosted by academic librarian Chris Kretz.
Photo: Part of the “Long Island in the ’70s” exhibit at the Long Island Museum (provided).
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