May is turning out to be a strong month for museums in The Hamptons and the East End of Long Island. May also signifies the return of seasonal museums, who open for the season with curated exhibitions. Museum shows in May range from modern art to contemporary art and contemporary craft and high-end design. There are solo shows, portrait photography shows, sprawling group shows and exhibitions that present a focused look into aspects unique to Long Island.
We've listed the museums according to town with curated exhibitions on view in May 2017. For the full list of museums on the East End and Long Island, visit our Museum Guide by clicking here.
EAST HAMPTON
GUILD HALL MUSEUM
"79th ANNUAL GUILD HALL ARTIST MEMBERS EXHIBITION" continues through June 3, 2017. No public opening reception. The community-centered show is the oldest non-juried museum exhibition on Long Island and one of the few non-juried exhibitions still running. Guild Hall is located at 158 Main Street, East Hampton, NY 11937. www.guildhall.org.
To see photos from the Opening Reception (and discover the winners), click here for a Hamptons Art Hub feature.
THE LEIBER COLLECTION
"MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION - FASHION, PASSION AND COLLECTION" is now on view. An Opening Celebration Garden Tea Party takes place on Saturday, May 27 from 2 to 5 p.m. The show features the collections of three Judith Leiber collectors in the main gallery and Gerson Leiber paintings and prints from his Fashion Series in the painting gallery. Also on view are handbags from Judith Leiber's Collection in the permanent gallery. The Leiber Collection is located at 446 Old Stone Hwy, East Hampton, NY 11937. www.leibermuseum.org.
To read about the art of the Leibers, click "Judith Leiber Handbags Capture Attention from a Trio of Museums."
LONGHOUSE RESERVE
LongHouse Reserve opened for the 2017 season with its annual "Rites of Spring" on April 29, 2017. Click here for images of the event. The event also unveiled the new sculpture installations for the season, each are each sited in conversation with the landscaped gardens and grounds. New works include FROSTYDICKFANTASY by John Chamberlain, Accretion by John Crawford, Almost Like the Blues by Marylyn Dintenfass, The Fish Bench by Judy Kensley McKie, Three Indeterminate Lines by Bernar Venet and The Mete of the Muse by Fred Wilson.
Also on view is the exhibition "LongHouse Collects," presenting textiles, pottery, furniture and design objects. The show is curated by LongHouse Founder Jack Lenor Larsen. LongHouse Reserve is located at 133 Hands Creek Rd, East Hampton, NY 11937. www.longhouse.org.
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"The Fish Bench" by Judith Kensley McKie, 1999. Cast Bronze, 18 x 76 x 29 inches. Photo by Dawn Watson.
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POLLOCK-KRASNER HOUSE & STUDY CENTER
"EAST END ART WORLD, AUGUST 1953: PHOTOGRAPHS BY TONY VACCARO" opened on May 4 and remains on view through July 29, 2017. An Opening Reception takes place on Sunday, May 29, 2017 from 5 to 7 p.m.
The exhibition presents the photography of Tony Vaccaro, who was sent on a magazine assignment to photograph Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner for a feature in August 1953. Though the piece was never published, Vaccaro kept the images which were exhibited at the Pollock-Krasner House in 2010. While on assignment, Vaccaro also photographed other Hamptons Artists including Willem and Elaine De Kooning. The negatives and contact sheets were recently discovered during a move after being missing for six decades. Twenty of these images are on view for the first time in the current exhibition.
The Pollock-Krasner House & Study Center is located at 830 Springs Fireplace Rd, East Hampton, NY 11937. www.stonybrook.edu/pkhouse.
RIVERHEAD
SUFFOLK COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
"GRUCCI: THE FAMILY THAT LIGHTS THE SKIES" has an Opening Reception on Saturday, May 13, 2017 at 1 p.m. The show remains on view through September 9, 2017. The exhibition explores the history of the Gruccis, known as "America's First Family of Fireworks" since 1850. After emigrating from Italy, the family settled in Suffolk Country and have remained there ever since as their fireworks industry spread worldwide. On view are photographs, industry artifacts and videos.
"OVER HERE, OVER THERE: LONG ISLAND & THE GREAT WAR" continues through January 2018. The exhibition commemorated the Centennial of America's entry into World War I with artifacts, maps, photographs, weapons, posters and more documenting Long Islanders' experiences at the time.
"100 YEARS: VOTES FOR NEW YORK WOMEN" continues through the end of the year. This exhibition celebrates the centennial of New York State women winning the right to vote with stories of Long Island women activists who dedicated themselves to the grassroots movement.
PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS: Six historical exhibitions culled from the SCHS collections. The Syliva Downs Staas Gallery presents paintings and furniture from the 18th – 20th centuries. Permanent exhibitions include “So Ends This Long Journey”, “Early Suffolk Farm Life and The Rise of Crafts”, “Early Suffolk Transport”, “From Near and Far: Ceramics in Suffolk County Households, 1750-1870” and “Arms & Armament”.
The Suffolk County Historical Society is located at 300 West Main St., Riverhead, NY 11901. www.suffolkcountyhistoricalsociety.org.
SAG HARBOR
EASTVILLE COMMUNITY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
"MAXINE'S WORLD" presents a solo show by Maxine Townsend-Broderick of mixed media works. The exhibition includes quilts, stained glass, sand art, paintings, etchings, drawings and ceramics. Continues on view through June 17, 2017. Eastville Community Historical Society is located at 139 Hampton St, Sag Harbor, NY 11963. www.eastvillecommunityhistoricalsociety.webs.com.
SAG HARBOR WHALING & HISTORICAL MUSEUM
"DE KOONING & FRIENDS" remains on view through May 22, 2017. A Closing Reception will be held on Friday, May 19, 2017 from 6 to 8 p.m. The solo show by Mary Montes features abstract expressionistic paintings of the artists of the New York School during the mid to late 20th century. The Sag Harbor Whaling and Historical Museum is located at 200 Main Street, Sag Harbor, NY 11963. www.sagharborwhalingmuseum.org.
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"Cool Blues" by Mary Montes. Charcoal and Pastel on Paper, 24 x 18 inches. Courtesy of Sag Harbor Whaling Museum.
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"ANCHOR: A WHALE OF A SHOW" has its Opening Reception on Friday, May 26, 2017 from 6 to 8 p.m. The show is on view from May 26 to June 12, 2017. Curated by artists Dan Rizzie and Susan Lazarus-Reiman, the group show pays tribute to Sag Harbor and its historical ties to the whaling community through the art of artists who live in Sag Harbor or the East End at large. Exhibiting artists include Paul Davis, Jamie Ellis, Eric Fischl, April Gornik, Laurie Lambrecht, Susan Lazarus-Reimen, Lindsay Morris, Christine Morro, Jill Musnicki, Jodi Panas, Dan Rizzie, Reynold Ruffins, David Slater, Ned Smyth, Donald Sultan, John Torreano and Ross Watts.
The Sag Harbor Whaling Museum is located at 200 Main Street, Sag Harbor, NY 11963. www.sagharborwhalingmuseum.org.
SOUTHAMPTON
SOUTHAMPTON HISTORICAL MUSEUM & RESEARCH CENTER
"HUNTING THE WHALE: THE RISE AND FALL OF A SOUTHAMPTON INDUSTRY" continues through December 30, 2017. The show features documents, artifacts and images related to the whaling industry and highlights the lives of indigenous people, slaves, whaling captains and local families. The Southampton Historical Museum & Research Center’s main campus is located at 17 Meeting House Lane, Southampton, NY 11968. www.southamptonhistoricalmuseum.org.
WATER MILL
PARRISH ART MUSEUM
"JOHN GRAHAM: MAVERICK MODERNIST" remains on view through July 30, 2017. The exhibition is the first comprehensive retrospective in 30 years of the artist's work. On view are 60 paintings and a selection of works on paper. The show explores how John Graham became a significant figure in the development of American art-making in the first half of the 20th century. The artist's provocative work represents how American artists of the time were striving to define a new direction in painting.
RELATED: "John Graham Retrospective Launches Parrish Summer Season"
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"Celia" by John Graham, ca. 1944. Oil, casein, charcoal, chalk, graphite, and ink on Masonite, 48 x 36 inches. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Hugo Kastor Fund, 1968 (68.185).
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"THE PERMANENT COLLECTION: MATERIALITY AND PROCESS" continues through October 30, 2017. The exhibition pulled from the museum's collection explores materials and the hand of the artist, bringing substance and gesture to the fore through a series of thematic mini-exhibitions.
RELATED: “'The Permanent Collection: Materiality and Process' Opens at The Parrish Art Museum."
The Parrish Art Museum is located at 279 Montauk Highway, Water Mill, NY 11976. www.parrishart.org.
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BASIC FACTS: For a list of museums exhibiting art on Long Island, New York City and South Florida, visit our Museum Guide by clicking here.
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