Go Big or Go Home? Tripoli Gallery's Thanksgiving Collective Does Both

This weekend sees an unusual art event in the Hamptons gallery scene: the opening of a single exhibition presented simultaneously in three galleries, rivaling museum shows presented in The Hamptons. Tripoli Gallery's annual Thanksgiving Collective is a Hamptons gallery tradition, offering tasty visual treats from artists exhibited in the gallery and those new to Hamptons art audiences presented in a themed exhibition. The show opens this weekend and is presented in both Tripoli Gallery locations along with the Southampton Arts Center.

The collective dynamic remains the same for this year but with some twists. The 2015 edition features artist favorites selected by gallerist Tripoli Patterson with each work chosen on the strength of the piece alone, differing from selecting art that may also be strong, but is designed to converse with others to develop a themed curated show.

"In the past I have curated this show based around a theme, but this year I'm happy to say the show itself is the theme," wrote Patterson in an email. "I have selected artists that I like and works that I thought were strong. I am all about organic growth and like for things to fall into place as they should."

"Sock" by Judith Hudson, 2015. 30 x 22 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Tripoli Gallery.

This year saw Tripoli Gallery double its presence in the Hamptons gallery scene when it opened a second gallery in East Hampton Village. Teaming up with Glenn Horowitz Bookseller, Tripoli Gallery moved into the first floor and Glenn Horowitz remains in the smaller second, presenting exhibitions and projects there over the summer. The flagship gallery, Tripoli Gallery Southampton, founded as Tripoli Gallery of Contemporary Art, opened in Southampton Village on Jobs Lane in 2009, after Patterson presented pop up shows in the Hamptons for several years running.

In its inaugural year with two Hamptons galleries, Tripoli Gallery presented shows in both locations that were distinctive from each other, in effect doubling their Hamptons exhibition presence through two spaces and two unique sensibilities. Continuing to run with the idea of expansion, Patterson picked up a conversation about curating shows at the Southampton Arts Center--the former space of the Parrish Art Museum--and the Thanksgiving Collective became a force to be reckoned with.

"With the new gallery opening in East Hampton this past April, I knew that I wanted the Thanksgiving show to be in both spaces," wrote Patterson. "I was also in conversation with Simone Livenson about curating a show at The Southampton Arts Center (SAC) last year so figured why not make it Tripoli times three? I got the approval from SAC so I was then up against reaching out to enough artists to full that huge historical space, much bigger then my galleries. As that process began, I realized that I had to figure out how to delegate this list of 35 artist into these three spaces and make some sense of it so it wasn't a big scramble of different works."

"Thought" by Saskia Friedrich, 2015. Courtesy of the artist and Tripoli Gallery.

In effective, the 2015 Thanksgiving Collective stays true to its original intent of presenting a gathering of artists--many who have exhibited with the gallery--but has adapted the annual show to embrace the idea of growth and strength born from connections of equals. The show is linked with a "theme" of strong individual artworks with the Southampton Arts Center forming the centerpiece of the exhibition trifecta.

The Southampton Arts Center presents works by all 35 exhibiting artists and also includes an outdoor sculpture garden--something new for Tripoli Gallery. The two galleries divide the exhibiting artists nearly in half with the East Hampton gallery exhibiting works by 18 artists and the Southampton gallery presenting 15. The only exceptions are Mike Kelley and Harmony Korine who each only have one work in the show and are included in the Southampton Arts Center exhibition only.

"Untitled" by Bosco Sodi, 2013. Broze cast. Courtesy of the artist and Tripoli Gallery.

In deciding how to effectively install the show, Patterson drew on the knowledge that Hamptons gallery scenes can differ from Main Street to Main Street. Each gallery was installed with art that is likely to connect with gallery goers tending to walk through each respective door, determined through a dialogue between Patterson and each artist.

"As much as I want to bridge the gaps from Southampton Town to East Hampton Town, I have also realized through my time on Jobs Lane, and growing up on the East End, that there is quite a big difference in esthetic from one town to the next," wrote Patterson. "As I like to do, instead of going against something, it's important to utilize what's at hand. So I decided to have all 35 artists in the wonderful SAC building, including outdoor sculptures, and keep the three-location show intact. Then I though: Why not split the group in half and let aesthetic, audiences, and will of the artist dictate which of my two gallery's there second piece (or group of pieces) would be shown?"

"Self-Portrait" by Bruce High Quality Foundation. Courtesy of the artist and Tripoli Gallery.

With the art and the installation in place, all that was left was a celebration worthy of the exhibition. Patterson reached out to friends and business owners to put together a committee of 15 to create an after party blowout slated to be held on Saturday night in the Southampton Arts Center theater, adjacent to the exhibition space.

"We had the SAC theater which is absolutely rad and a perfect place for a big party," wrote Patterson. "So I reached it to a few of my friends and some of my fellow business owners...and put together an incredible after party committee. I reached out to some performers including my younger brother Yung Jake, got Terry McGuire involved to handle the food, and am so happy to see everyone's willingness to contribute. After the show, from 8 p.m. - Midnight, everyone will move to the theater for food, open bar, and live performances!!!"

Artists exhibiting in Tripoli Gallery's Thanksgiving Collective are Ross Bleckner, Stefan Bondell, Bruce High Quality Foundation, Michael Chiarello, Matthew Clark, Dan Colen, Scott Covert, Quentin Curry, Anh Duong, Sabra Moon Elliot, Eric Freeman, Saskia Friedrich, Félix Bonilla Gerena, Michael Halsband, Robert Harms, Mary Heilmann, Judith Hudson, Yung Jake, Benjamin Keating, Mike Kelley, Harmony Korine, Brendan Lynch, Dylan Lynch, John Messinger, Lola Montes, Enis Sefersah, Nathalie Shepherd, Bruce M. Sherman, Lucien Smith, Bosco Sodi, Keith Sonnier, Gordon Stevenson, Billy Sullivan, Nick Weber and Darius Yektai.

To see images of some of the work on view, visit our slideshow:

View Slideshow

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BASIC FACTS: Tripoli Gallery's "11th Annual Thanksgiving Collective" opens on November 27, 2015 and remains on view through January 31, 2016. The show is held in three locations: Tripoli Gallery East Hampton; Tripoli Gallery Southampton; and the Southampton Center. Visit www.tripoligallery.com for more information.

Preview Reception - Friday, Nov. 27: 4 to 6 p.m.

Tripoli Gallery East Hampton, 87 Newtown Lane, East Hampton, NY

Grand Opening and After Party - Saturday, Nov 28:

5 to 7 p.m.: Tripoli Gallery Southampton, 30 Jobs Lane, Southampton, NY

6 to 8 pm.: Southampton Arts Center, 25 Jobs Lane, Southampton, NY

8 p.m to Midnight: After Party in the Theater at Southampton Arts Center

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