Visual Diary – Exhibition Exploration

DISPATCH - June 2, 2011 (Thursday); 11:53 p.m.

Hamptons, NY

Memorial Day Weekend is a busy one for the gallery scene. In a nod to the first exhibition explosion, I challenged myself to attend as many openings as traffic and timing would allow. In 3 days, I logged 167  miles, attended  7 openings and 1 chalk art street fair. I missed 10 art openings and 3 outdoor arts shows.

What follows are snapshots of the art parties, the artists I spoke with and curators who arranged sweeping group shows. There's even some art to peek at.

FRIDAY - MAY 27; 6 p.m.

My first challenge rose quickly--Was it possible to attend openings of the Springs Improvement Society's annual Memorial Weekend Members Art Show at Ashawagh Hall in Springs (10 minutes east of East Hampton Village) and Danger Deep Water at Tripoli Gallery of Contemporary Art in Southampton? Both were being held from 7 to 9 p.m. An hour's travel time lay between them. Math told me it wasn't and I chose Southampton.

Danger Deep Water is the first solo show for Matisse Patterson. Patterson graduated Bridgehampton High School in 2007 and won every student art show possible before heading to SVA (School of Visual Arts). Even before art school, her paintings had a distinctive voice. I was interested to see what she was up to now.

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Art by Matisse Patterson. She notices objects as they are found and incorporates them into sculptures that freeze the moment.

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The scene outside of the gallery.

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Ruby Patterson, Matisse Patterson, Trip Patterson and Tali Raebeck stand besides art by Matisse Patterson.

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Matisse Patterson with her brother and gallery owner, Tripoli Patterson.

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Sculpture by Matisse Patterson. All of the objects were found on area beaches and local surroundings.

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Friday night was a private opening of Danger Deep Water.

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Matisse Patterson with her mom, Terry Patterson.

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SATURDAY - MAY 28; 5 p.m

Art openings were clustered geographically. There were 4 openings in Sag Harbor; 5 in East Hampton and 1 on Shelter Island. Nearly all were held from 6 to 8 p.m. If a ferry wasn't involved, I would have begun at Boltax Gallery on SI where a solo show by John Abrams was opening, featuring film stills from Alfred Hitchcock movies. The California-based artist would attend the opening. Ultimately, timing led me to East Hampton.

6:15 p.m. - Death in Midsummer - A solo show  by Jameson Ellis - John McWhinnie @ Glenn Horowitz Bookseller - Newtown Lane

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Ellis presents small paintings for a sublime space.

6:42 p.m. - Domestic Goods - A group show curated by Ryan Wallace - Eric Firestone Gallery - Newtown Lane

The sprawling show featured works by 27 artists selected by Ryan Wallace, a Brooklyn-based artist who also works in EH. Wallace graduated from RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) and is a recent Pollock-Krasner grant recipient.

The exhibition is meant to examine "diverse themes related to the home and household such as domesticity and decor, possessions and privacy" and concepts including memory, family and physical surroundings, according to an Eric Firestone Gallery press release. Wallace selected artists whose work he knew and admired, he said. Many of the artists are from Brooklyn with a few living in California, Canada and the Hamptons.

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Ryan Wallace with his work.

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Examining "Lace Collar Floor Tapestry" by Michelle Blade. The work is acrylic and ink on Dura-Lar. Next to the work is "Chair" by Shelter Serra (fiberglass, epoxy, wood).

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"Untitled" by Chris Duncan.

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Artists William King and Connie Fox at the Eric Firestone opening.

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"Detroit Vases" by Denise Kupferschmidt.

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Gallerist Eric Firestone and curator Ryan Wallace talk with a visitor at the opening.

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Exhibiting artists Glen Baldridge, David Kennedy Cutler and Ben Blatt with artist Tom Maher.

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"Collector" by Paul Wackers, 2011

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"Bleach Blanket" by Sam Moyer, 2011.

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7:15 p.m. - Gloria Hole - a group show curated by Richard Munson - The Fireplace Project - Springs Fireplace Road, East Hampton, NY.

The theme for the show was inspired by the curator's mom who gifted Munson a book from the early 19th century, he said. His curator statement is a creative take on a passage from the book in which the author describes his or her philosophy as an amateur botanist.

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The exhibition title was selected from a photography series by Eve Fowler and Math Bass called "Gloria Hole". Installed in the front gallery, the provocative images conjure a narrative for "queer desire" complicated by disconnection through an illicit and anonymous environment.

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One image from "Gloria Hole", a series of 8 photographs by Eve Fowler and Math Bass.

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The exhibition included works by Eve Fowler and Math Bass (collaboration), Cass Bird, Lizzi Bougatsos, Erika Keck, Julia Kent, Terence Koh, Natalya Laskis, Liza Lou, Gloria Maximo, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Olympia Scarry, Aurel Schmidt, Odile Bernard Schroder, Cindy Sherman, Astrid Mery Sinivassin and Agathe Snow.

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Curator Richard Munson next to artworks by Gloria Maximo and Agathe Snow.

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Exhibiting artist Erika Keck with one of her works.

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"The Poisonous Trap of Biology, Frozer, Replication." by Genesis Breyer P-Orridge

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"End of the Affair" by Natalya Laskis.

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Gloria Maximo with her "Woman Bathing." On left, are studies for the painting on plaster. The works are part of a series that combines figure and object in a domestic setting. The works are conceptual in that they question identity, its loss and roles assumed, said Maximo.

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"In My House, My House" by Agathe Snow.

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Exhibition goers relax in the gallery's backyard during the opening.

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Whimsy found its way into traffic control in the gallery's rear parking lot.

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"Family" and "Precious" by Erika Keck. The title "Precious" was inspired by Keck's friendship with Munson.

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SUNDAY, MAY 29

I'm ready for a full day of art openings and events. The sun is bold and perfect for the Memorial Day weekend.

12:10 p.m. Tina Folks & Sarah Jaffe Turnbull - Celadon Gallery - Water Mill

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This is the second exhibition in the 2011 season. Celadon Gallery is the home of the Clay Art Guild of the Hamptons. The non-profit hosts exhibitions, talks, workshops, kiln firings and other programs in its quest to connect and enrich the community of potters and ceramic fans. The gallery focuses on clay art.

Folks and Turnbull are both guild members. Turnbull switched her focus to figurative sculptures around a year or so ago. She's interested in "the evocative nature and nuance of human nonverbal expression," she wrote in an exhibition statement.

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Folks's work is spiritually-driven, she said. Her ceramics explore "ancient archetypes of animals," their meanings in indigenous cultures and their relationship to her current life experiences, Folk writes in her artist statement.

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Tina Folks with some of her work.

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Sarah Jaffe Turnbull stands among her artwork.

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Ceramic figure by Tina Folks

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2:17 p.m. - Community Mosaic Street Painting Festival - A cultural street fair featuring chalk art drawings - Riverhead.  Sponsored by the East End Arts Council.

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Rod Tryon's 3-D chalk art.

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Jaclyn Morena works on her mural.

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Detail of Jaclyn Morena's chalk art.

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Andrea Cote's performance piece, "Memorized," invited anyone who was interested to write a poem or poetic lines from something treasured. The process began with the person erasing the words on the chalk board before writing their quotation.

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The project was open to anyone who had a quote, poem or lyrical words to share.

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Andrea Cote captures poetry in process.

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Still Sunday - 8:35 p.m. Not A Gallery season launch & WHIT's Season Collection Intro - TENET in Southampton. The Summer Launch party ran from 6 to 9 p.m.

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Not A Gallery launch.

BASIC FACTS:

DANGER DEEP WATER - TRIPOLI GALLERY OF CONTEMPORARY ART: On view through June 27, 2011. www.tripoligallery.com/exhibit.html

DEATH IN MIDSUMMER - JOHN MCWHINNIE @ GLENN HOROWITZ BOOKSELLER: On view through June 19, 2011. www.johnmcwhinnie.com/index.php/east_hampton/

DOMESTIC GOODS - ERIC FIRESTONE GALLERY: On view through June 28, 2011. www.ericfirestonegallery.com/

GLORIA HOLE - THE FIREPLACE PROJECT: On view through June 20, 2011. http://thefireplaceproject.com/

SARAH JAFFE TURNBULL & TINA FOLKS - CELADON GALLERY: On view through June 20, 2011. www.hamptonsclayart.org/celadon-gallery.shtml

COMMUNITY MOSAIC STREET PAINTING FESTIVAL - EAST END ARTS COUNCIL: No longer available.

NOT A GALLERY - POP UP GALLERY AT TENET: On view through Labor Day. www.notagallery.com/    www.tenetshop.com/

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© 2011 Pat Rogers and Hamptons Art Hub LLC. All rights reserved.