FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS: ARTIST-MADE FURNITURE

Installation view, John Chamberlain: THE TIGHTER THEY’RE WOUND, THE HARDER THEY UNRAVEL, Aspen Art Museum, 2023-24. Photo: Daniel Pérez

Tag: Visual Arts

ARTIST TALK: LAURIE LAMBRECHT

In conjunction with the exhibition, A Creative Retreat: Portraits of Artists, Guild Hall collection artist Laurie Lambrecht joins Director of Visual Arts Melanie Crader in conversation about Laurie’s career and her ongoing project included in the exhibition entitled Inspirations All.

In anticipation of the reopening of the John Drew Theater, the final stage of Guild Hall’s facility-wide renovation, A Creative Retreat: Portraits of Artists celebrates artists who were and are the fabric of the East End artist community and integral to Guild Hall.

The East End has a history of providing an environment for artists to gather and a place of respite and contemplation where many artists work quietly and diligently seasonally and year-round, forming a vibrant creative community. This exhibition of photographic portraits of visual, literary, and performing artists is drawn largely from Guild Hall’s permanent collection, supplemented by projects by Linda K. Alpern, Laurie Lambrecht, and Mark Mann.

Guild Hall was established in 1931 as a gathering place for the community where an appreciation for the arts would “promote a finer type of citizenship.” The institution was the first arts town hall of its kind, encompassing a museum, theater, education center, and meeting space under one roof. Guild Hall’s history parallels that of the American theater and art worlds, with many landmark performances and exhibitions documented in the publication Guild Hall for All (2021).

This exhibition is organized by director of visual arts Melanie Crader.

LOOK ALIVE

MARKS FAMILY GALLERY SOUTH

Join us on Thursday May 2 from 5-7 PM for a pre-closing gathering to experience the culmination of the work for the six featured artists. Click HERE to RSVP.

Look Alive is an evolving studio, gallery, and social space. This unique showcase highlights the thriving emergent creative community on the East End, featuring the works of Harris Allen, Kai Parcher-Charles, Mamoun Nukumanu, Kate Kavanaugh, Kiva Motnyk, and Jasmine Chamberlain, and organized by independent curator Ellie Duke. Utilizing video, sound, sculpture, textile, florals, and other media, each artist will transform the gallery into a collaborative workshop.

Artists will be on-site during the following weekends:

  • March 29 – May 6: Harris Allen
  • March 29 – April 1: Kai Parcher Charles
  • April 5 – April 7: Mamoun Nukumanu
  • April 12 – 15: Kate Kavanaugh
  • April 19 – 21: Kiva Motnyk
  • April 26 – 29: Jasmine Chamberlain

“There is a misconception that the most interesting art on the East End happened in decades past, or that young artists don’t (or can’t) live here anymore,” said curator Ellie Duke. “In fact, I am inspired constantly by the emerging generation of artists on the East End — their scrappiness, their expansiveness, their collaborative spirit. Look Alive was inspired by them, and by the desire to share some of their work and their practice with a broader audience. All of the artists in Look Alive are engaged with the community and landscape of this region — its light, flora and fauna, and inhabitants inspire their practices, which I hope visitors to Guild Hall will find moving and resonant.”

Video artist Harris Allen is on-site March 29th – May 6th, developing his series of “living images,” video sculptures that intimately capture narrative and essence through subtle movement. Existing between a still photograph and a film, these portraits are slowed down to allow the viewer to experience more than is available to the naked eye. The result is a deepened presence with the subject through the dilation of time, and a striking blend of stark minimalism and soft, organic form. Throughout Look Alive, Allen will be creating new works using this technique, including five new “living images” in collaboration with the other artists in the exhibition, which will be displayed alongside their contributions.

Each of the five other artists will be on-site for one weekend, building something in the space that will then stay there for the remainder of the exhibition. March 29th – March 31st, multidisciplinary artist Kai Parcher-Charles explores remixed narratives and the power of abstraction and chance to create a soundscape installation made in collaboration with the Guild Hall Teen Arts Council, as well as visitors to the gallery. April 5th – 7th, Mamoun Nukumanu engages his creative practice of “sacred play,” a symbiotic collaboration between artist and organic matter, building a structure using foraged plant material. April 12th – 14th, natural dye artist Kate Kavanaugh creates a unique silk textile in the gallery utilizing eco-printing techniques and invites visitors to participate in a sound-healing ritual. April 19th – 21st, Kiva Motnyk creates a hand-quilted, natural-dyed patchwork textile and leads a quilting and dye workshop incorporating her techniques and materials. April 26th – 28th, floral artist Jasmine Chamberlain explores the dimensions of emotional landscape through an immersive sculptural floral installation, creating an environment for visitors to engage with.

FIRST LITERATURE PROJECT

MARKS FAMILY GALLERY SOUTH

First Literature Project proposes to support Native nations in their efforts to maintain and further their languages, narratives, and oral traditions. Employing a new immersive storytelling platform, 3D video is mixed with virtual reality to re-create the timeless experience of sitting face-to-face with a storyteller.

First Literature Project utilizes the newly released Apple Vision Pro headset to present the immersive experience Padawe, developed over a two-year period by Guild Hall Community Artists-in-Residence Wunetu Wequai Tarrant and Christian Scheider. The exhibition also features video works by the Shinnecock language revitalization collective Ayim Kutoowonk and interviews with members of the Shinnecock Nation.

Timed entry is required to experience First Literature Project’s virtual-reality work. Admission is free. Patrons who wear glasses or corrective lenses are strongly encouraged to wear contact lenses. 

Organized by Anthony Madonna, Guild Hall Patti Kenner Director of Learning + New Works.

Timed entry is required to experience First Literature Project’s virtual-reality work. Limited space is available every half hour from Friday to Monday, during the times below, and can be reserved HERE. Advance reservations are recommended to ensure time slots, but are not required.

  • 12 PM
  • 12:30 PM
  • 1 PM
  • 1:30 PM
  • 2 PM
  • 2:30 PM
  • 3 PM
  • 3:30 PM
  • 4 PM
  • And Fridays at 4:30, 5, 5:30, 6, & 6:30 PM

SPIN A YARN

MARKS FAMILY GALLERY NORTH

Spin a Yarn takes its title from an expression believed to have originated in sailors’ practice of telling stories, often tall tales, while repairing ropes during long sea voyages. Delving into the complex relationship between textile labor and storytelling, the exhibition examines the use of textiles as vehicles for the preservation of memories and knowledge. The terms textile and text are derived from the Latin texere (to weave), and while Western cultures have historically prioritized the written word, many others, particularly in Latin America, have relied on a rich tradition of using threads, knots, and woven materials to record and transmit information.

Spin a Yarn brings together a diverse selection of fiberbased works dating from ancient Andean times to the present. Some of the artists featured reflect on the weavings and feather works of pre-Hispanic cultures as precursors of geometric abstraction, while others explore and build on the embroidery and weaving techniques employed by indigenous peoples across Latin America as a means of advocating for the protection of these communities and the environment. Spin a Yarn casts light on the enduring significance of fiber arts in the modernist canon and the profound impact of indigenous and pre-Hispanic weaving traditions on the development of contemporary art.

This exhibition is curated by Estrellita Brodsky, founder and director of ANOTHER SPACE, New York, with Raul Martinez.

Member Preview Day: Saturday, May 18, 12-5 PM
Not a member? JOIN today!

Galleries are open Friday to Monday, 12-5 PM. Museum admission is always free.

RELATED PROGRAM
In Conversation: Estrellita Brodsky & Joanne Pillsbury
Sunday, July 14, 2 PM

TED CAREY: QUEER AS FOLK

MARKS FAMILY GALLERY NORTH/TITO SPIGA EXHIBITION SPACE

Born and raised in Chester, Pennsylvania, Edward “Ted” Fawcett Carey (1932–1985) moved to New York in 1955. There he pursued a career in graphic design, forged a close friendship with Andy Warhol, and later developed a distinctive mode of painting informed by his keen interest in American folk art. While living between New York and East Hampton in the 1970s and 1980s, Carey produced a small yet compelling body of work that mimics aspects of vernacular painting, chronicles his life and relationships, and pictures facets of queer culture. Sharply observed and highly detailed, Carey’s faux-naïf paintings depict some of his favorite haunts in New York and celebrate the creative lives of other gay men.

Indebted to the foresight and generosity of Carey’s longtime partner, this exhibition draws from the Tito Spiga Bequest to Guild Hall. It surveys Ted Carey’s art for the first time since 1985, when an East Hampton gallery mounted a memorial show of his paintings in the days following his death from AIDS.

This exhibition is organized by Matthew Nichols, PhD, independent curator.

Galleries are open Friday to Monday, 12-5 PM. Museum admission is always free.

Member Preview Day: Saturday, May 18, 12-5 PM
Not a member? JOIN today!

RELATED PROGRAMS

Curator Talk: Matthew Nichols
Sunday, June 2, 2 PM
In conjunction with the exhibition Ted Carey: Queer as Folk, guest curator Matthew Nichols will discuss the art historical and cultural contexts of Ted Carey’s life and work. The queer content of Carey’s New York paintings and his tributes to other gay artists will also be examined.

In Conversation: Anne Buckwalter and Matthew Nichols
Sunday, June 23, 2 PM
In conjunction with the exhibition Ted Carey: Queer as Folk, guest curator Matthew Nichols will discuss aspects of the show with the artist Anne Buckwalter. Their talk will explore how Carey and Buckwalter share roots in southeastern Pennsylvania, draw inspiration from regional folk art traditions, and address gender and sexuality in their paintings.

 

A CREATIVE RETREAT—PORTRAITS OF ARTISTS

MARKS FAMILY GALLERY NORTH

In anticipation of the reopening of the John Drew Theater, the final stage of Guild Hall’s facility-wide renovation, this exhibition celebrates artists who were and are the fabric of the East End artist community and integral to Guild Hall.

The East End has a history of providing an environment for artists to gather and a place of respite and contemplation where many artists work quietly and diligently seasonally and year-round, forming a vibrant creative community. This exhibition of photographic portraits of visual, literary, and performing artists is drawn largely from Guild Hall’s permanent collection, supplemented by projects by Linda K Alpern, Laurie Lambrecht, and Mark Mann.

Guild Hall was established in 1931 as a gathering place for the community where an appreciation for the arts would “promote a finer type of citizenship.” The institution was the first arts town hall of its kind, encompassing a museum, theater, education center, and meeting space under one roof. Guild Hall’s history parallels that of the American theater and art worlds, with many landmark performances and exhibitions documented in the publication Guild Hall for All (2021).

This exhibition was organized by the Director of Visual Arts, Melanie Crader.

Galleries are open Friday to Monday, 12-5 PM. Museum admission is always free.

Member Opening Reception: Saturday, March 9, 11 AM-12 PM

DARLENE CHARNECO: FIELD MAPPINGS—WEAVES AND TOUCHMAPS

MARKS FAMILY GALLERY SOUTH/TITO SPIGA EXHIBITION SPACE

Darlene Charneco is the 2020 Artist Members Exhibition Top Honors Awardee, chosen by Susan Thompson, associate curator, Guggenheim Museum.

Charneco uses various materials and techniques to create a distinctive visual language and mapping system, evoking memory, connection, and evolution. The Weaves and Touchmaps are part of an ongoing series of artworks inspired by dreams, visions, nature studies, and the common thread of ritual found in many cultures and religions.

Each mixed-media wall piece is created through the meditative process of hammering nails, one by one. The resulting aggregations of nails represent positive wishes and visualizations for our present and future Earth. Charneco regards this as a “writing” process in which the nails are tangible objects that symbolize renewed hope, determination, and faith in the accumulation of many small but important actions through time. Each piece is composed of units that are woven together into tactile topographic fields that gradually reveal microcosms in which complex organisms evolve, taking on ever-shifting roles, identities, and collective movements. Charneco highlights the power of individual acts to effect change when compounded through our interconnectedness, both physical and virtual.

This exhibition is organized by Guild Hall’s Director of Visual Arts, Melanie Crader.

Galleries are open Friday to Monday, 12-5 PM. Museum admission is always free.

Member Opening Reception: Saturday, March 9, 11 AM-1 PM

JOEL MESLER: MILES OF SMILES

Joel Mesler’s practice sheds light on universal themes by filtering them through autobiography, humor, self-deprecation, and surprising compositional juxtapositions. Mesler has explored the power of acceptance, allowing emotions—as well as the cultural forms in which they become entangled—to exist at the center of his projects. An artist, collector, and former art dealer, Mesler’s installation mimics his studio, office, and exhibition space, featuring work by a select group of his contemporaries. The space will function as a gathering and meeting place where the artist will host office hours. Mesler’s office hours create a simultaneous performance and public program.

Office Hours: During museum open hours
It’s a surprise! Joel Mesler will be “in and out of the office” throughout the exhibition. Stop by anytime during the museum’s open hours, and if Joel is “in office,” he practices an open-door policy. You’ll never know when he’ll magically appear!

This exhibition was organized by Melanie Crader, museum director and curator of visual arts, with Philippa Content, museum manager and registrar and Claire Hunter, museum coordinator and curatorial associate.

MUSEUM ON THE ROAD: AN ADVENTURE IN THE ARTS

 
Touring Exhibition
GUILD HALL: AN ADVENTURE IN THE ARTS
On View February 10 – April 28, 2024

The Society of the Four Arts
Esther B. O’Keeffe Building
102 Four Arts Plaza, Palm Beach

Gallery Hours:
Sunday, 1-5 PM
Monday, 10 AM-5 PM
Tuesday, Four Arts members only, 1-5 PM
Wednesday through Saturday, 10 AM-5 PM

Guild Hall: An Adventure in the Arts presents highlights from our permanent collection. Established in 1931 by Mary Woodhouse (also a co-founder of The Society of the Four Arts), Guild Hall has become the cultural heart of the East End through its core principle that participation in the arts creates greater civic engagement.

Guild Hall’s collection comprises over 2,400 works by internationally renowned 20th and 21st century artists. An Adventure in the Arts features 72 works by 59 artists, including George Bellows, Lynda Benglis, Chuck Close, Jane Freilicher, Adolph Gottlieb, Jasper Johns, Thomas Moran, Robert Motherwell, Jackson Pollock, and Robert Rauschenberg. Many of these artists lived and worked in the East End, highlighting the tradition of artists in residence since the 1870s. The exhibition is accompanied by the publication Guild Hall For All (2021), which was published in celebration of our 90th anniversary.