The Parrish Art Museum will host a Winter Welcome Day & Holiday Market on Saturday, Dec. 7, offering family-friendly activities and an opportunity for last-minute artisan shopping.
The free event will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature creative workshops for all ages, many of which are inspired by current exhibits by Long Island artists.
The Holiday Market, the museum’s first, will allow local artisans to showcase their work. More than 25 artisans are expected, offering items such as jewelry, handmade candles, and artisanal food.
“By removing cost as a barrier, we hope to encourage people to come,” said Martha Stotzky, deputy director of arts education and visitor experience. “It’s just a fun day for families to come together, and all of the activities are for children and adults. You’ll see lots of families working together on the projects, which is great.”
While the museum hosts community days twice a year, the Holiday Market is new this year.
“We wanted to celebrate local artisans by inviting them to be in the market, and we’ve got a huge range of people coming,” Stotzky said. She mentioned unique gifts will also be available, including Peruvian chocolate and ceramics. She also encouraged visitors to check the museum website for a complete list of vendors.
In addition to the Holiday Market, the museum’s shop offers a variety of gift options.
More than a shopping venue, Welcome Winter Day is packed with artistic projects, like tape painting along the museum’s central spine, a collaboration inspired by the work of the late Charlotte Park—known for her abstracts.
Model Magic & Collage will engage visitors in the Creativity Lounge, led by artist Sheila Rankowitz, while the Imagination Play Project, with Linda White, invites participants of all ages to explore their creativity.
“There’s also a scavenger hunt that relates to the Audrey Flack exhibition,” Stotzky said, referring to the long-time Long Island resident and innovator in photorealism and visual art.
Local artists, including photographer Ralph Gibson, will be featured during impromptu docent-led tours from 1 to 3 p.m. The tours will highlight Gibson’s “Nature: Object,” which explores the relationship between shapes in nature and architecture, and Park’s “The Life of Forms in Color,” which features more than 70 works in various mediums.
The tours will also include Flack’s “Mid-Century to Post-Pop Baroque,” showcasing her work from the 1940s to the present.
Other exhibitions at the museum include “Beyond Reality” by French photo-artist Bertrand Meniel, “Fresh Paint” by Derrick Adams, and “A New Subjectivity,” a tribute to a collection compiled by art historian Jean Clair.
If all that activity works up an appetite, Stotzky said, the Parrish Café will be open with snacks and beverages as well.
Founded in 1898 by lawyer and art collector Samuel Parrish, the museum is one of the oldest in America. It focuses on modern and contemporary art and has more than 3,500 works in its collection.
The museum’s new location at 279 Montauk Highway in Water Mill, opened in 2012, and provides a “beautiful space” for its exhibitions.
For more information about Winter Welcome Day and the museum's exhibits, visit https://parrishart.org.