by Debbie Tuma
What do you get when you take a female artist of spiritual tapestries, designer clothing and jewelry, and put her together with an author of spiritual books, a musician, astrologer, and a former bodyguard for Michael J. Fox? You get a 47 year marriage of Amy Zerner and Monte Farber, of East Hampton.
These two were clearly meant to meet—Amy from East Hampton and Monte from Brooklyn, and meet they did, on October 23, 1974, after Amy had gone to Brooklyn to study art at Pratt Institute. They got married in 1978 in a garden at an East Hampton Estate, and I was there to witness it. Amy and I met at East Hampton High School when we were 16. Even back then she was artsy and exotic, wearing long black dresses and a star on her forehead, among cheerleaders with knee socks and sneakers. In later years, the 1970’s, Monte came out here and played music alongside his robot named Roland, at a popular Amagansett bar named Smugglers Cove, and also at the Tattler bar in Montauk. And that was WAY before AI!!!
They first moved in with Amy’s mother, Jessie, in a quaint house in Springs, where the two collaborated on artistic projects. Jessie wrote children’s books and Amy did the illustrations. She also did her own artwork, which became more spiritual in nature, evolving into giant tapestries using not paint, but gathered pieces of fabric. As her artwork grew, so did her house, adding on a large studio where she could sit on the floor surrounded by cloth scraps, beads, ribbons, feathers, weaving them altogether into scenes from her imagination.
Throughout the years, Amy and Monte studied all types of metaphysical subjects, including astrology, tarot cards, psychic readings, and between the two of them, created 50 books of Monte’s writing and Amy’s illustration. It was a perfect match—artist and writer! They eventually combined all their spiritual books, games, clothing, jewelry, and opened their own store in 2014 on Main Street in East Hampton called, “The Enchanted World Emporium,” a magical sanctuary of self-help and self-discovery books, tarot cards, fashion, oracles, jewelry, and spiritual power tools. For the first time, the couple put all their creations in one location.
By that time, Amy Zerner had started her own line of “wearable art,” with her famous couture jackets, which were sold at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus. Some of Amy’s famous clients included Elizabeth Taylor and Patti LaBelle. The couple’s meditation kits were sold at Barnes and Noble. “The Enchanted Emporium” also had events such as “Tea and Tarrot” Sundays, as well as astrology and ESP readings with Monte, a practicing psychic.
And it didn’t stop there. Amy and Monte are constantly reinventing themselves, with new projects and new directions. Today, as they approach their 50th wedding anniversary in three more years, they are creating a three book set of spiritual topics, published by “Insight Editions Company,” which does beautiful high-end books such as “Harry Potter,” “Star Wars” and “Dune.” They brought Amy and Monte in to do “Body Mind and Spirit.” They are also doing a new “Karmic Balance Tarot” book about how to focus on the greatest good and highest joy with Karmic balance. Monte is also writing a book called, “Your Cosmic Blueprint,” about teaching people how o read astrology charts. And it’s also the 35th anniversary of “The Enchanted Tarot” book that sold over half a million copies.
“When we collaborate, Amy does the art first, and I write about what I see in the art,” said Monte. They even did an astrology cookbook, called “Signs and Seasons,” combining astrology and food, with 96 recipes. They collaborated with Chef John Okas, and Amy cooked all the food!
Amy and Monte are also doing “Vision Board Workshops,” based on the Law of Attraction, which they have studied. This is their latest tool, a “Vision Board Oracle,” which is a book and cards containing all the information you need to create your own vision board of what you want in your life. They do online and in person classes on how to create the life you seek.
Amy Zerner’s work was recently exhibited locally at Keyes Art in Sag Harbor, The Southampton Arts Center, and the Ross School Gallery in East Hampton.
Now Amy and Monte have combined all their history in their latest venture—a documentary film about their life-long partnership.
“During Covid, we did a weekly Zoom show called “Ask the Oracle,” where we’d do readings on people,” said Amy. “A producer from Los Angeles, Annmarie Sairrino, started watching us, and said we should be doing a documentary film.”
Over the next two years, Sairrino came out to their home in East Hampton and filmed them working together, and also filmed some of their friends, including the late East Hampton artist Audrey Flack, the late Jules Pfieffer, art gallery owner Julie Keyes, and author Lynda LaPlante. This film, called, “Amy & Monte: A Legacy of Love and Creativity,” was submitted to film festivals around the country. It just got into the New Hope Film Festival in Pennsylvania, and will be screened there in August. Also watch for other screenings in the Hamptons this fall.
“Our relationship is legendary, because not many people last that long, especially working together all the time,” said Farber. Visit their website at www.enchantedworld.com