East End Collected, now in its 10th year, is returning to Southampton Arts Center for its eighth iteration, focusing on local talent in the Hamptons. The exhibit features the work of 27 artists, bringing to nearly 300 the number of East End artists highlighted over the years.
East End Collected 8 runs from Feb. 1 through May 3, with an opening reception on Feb. 1 where visitors can meet the artists and enjoy wine.
Special events include a curators' tour on Feb. 23 and artist panels scheduled for March 1, March 15, March 29, and April 5, according to the Southampton Arts Center website.
Paton Miller, the sole curator of the first seven exhibitions, recalls a time when the Hamptons was a haven for new artists who would spot an empty barn, approach the owner, and turn it into their studio.
The area, close to Manhattan without the sky-high rents, became a colony for artists, beginning with landscape painter Thomas Moran, who opened a studio in 1884.
In an interview with South Shore Press, Miller said, “When I first moved here in 1974, I knocked on a guy’s door and said, ‘I was a student and could I use his outer building that wasn’t being used?’ and he said, ‘Come in, let’s talk about it,’ and after a conversation of an hour or so, he said, ‘Sure.’”
While such opportunities are rare today, the Hamptons remains a popular destination for creatives.
“I know that there’s an amazing wealth of artists that live out here and that goes back to Thomas Moran and William Merritt Chase (an impressionist born in 1849). The history of the East End and the arts is deep and rich, and I thought this is what we as an arts center should exhibit,” Miller said.
For the first time, Miller will be working with a co-curator for the event: Christina Mossaides Strassfield, executive director of the Southampton Arts Center.
Strassfield said East End Collected 8 will offer a diverse view of the local art scene, from glasswork to sculpture and photography to fabric. “It’s a great celebration of the artist and the artist community,” she added.
There is no single theme for the exhibit, and the artists range from novice to experienced. But the unifying thread, according to Strassfield, is the high caliber of work.
“Even when you’re in New York or other places, people are doing their own thing,” she said. “And people will say, ‘How does it all come together?’ But if you come into the show and maintain the quality, it doesn’t make a difference.”
Miller stressed the importance of recognizing local talent, citing the past failure to give artists like Jackson Pollock and Fairfield Porter the recognition they deserved despite their East End ties.
“It’s always been about showing and exhibiting what’s out here,” he said. “There are a lot of artists who are very good, who, for one reason or another, do not get the recognition from museums and art centers that they deserve. And this is the role that the Southampton Arts Center has played.”
Entering its 12th season, Southampton Arts Center at 25 Jobs Lane offers art galleries, live performances, wellness programs, and affordable classes.
"We are delighted to be able to serve the community. Our mission is building community through the arts,” Strassfield said.