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The well-worn adage tells us that there’s strength in numbers. When area art collectives Bonac Tonic of Springs and Arts 4 of Sag Harbor banded together they discovered something else: many hands means more art. More art to display in exhibitions creates opportunities to meet even more artists and have better shows.
This weekend, the two groups will unveil a new collaboration and roll out an artistic red carpet in a weekend-long arts fair at Stella Maris School in Sag Harbor. “The Umbrella Show” is a three-day event that welcomes the community to participate for the benefit of local charities. Festivities include an art exhibition, children’s art show, film and animation screenings, live music, crafts, games and even a belly dancer/snake charmer.
The show kicks off on Friday with an opening reception for the artists from 6 to 10 p.m. On Saturday, attention turns to the Children’s Art Fair. Held from 2 to 4 p.m., it will feature children’s art on display and art workshops for kids. Activities include spin art, pottery painting, scavenger hunts and more.
Adult time arrives at 5:45 p.m. with a full slate of live music and performances. Snake charmer and belly dancer Heather Tankersley will perform to ethnic drumming. The bands take over from there. The lineup includes the teenage rock band Too Busy Being Bored, acoustic/alternative singer Gabriella Caspi, jazz singer Stephanie Carlin plus Easy Company, The Valentinos, A Midnight Orchestra and All County Fair.
On Sunday, film and animation take center stage. Screenings will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. The films will be a mix of well-known filmmakers and emerging talent. Documentary maker and pioneer of direct cinema/cinema verité Franco Mondini-Ruiz is expected to screen some works.
The grandfather of Arts 4 Bonac Tonic founder Molly Weiss, Mr. Mondini-Ruiz is known for his rock documentaries including “Monterey Pop” (1968), “Jimi Plays Monterey” (1985), “Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” (1973), as well as “Al Franken: God Spoke” (2006), “Only The Strong Survive” (2002) and “Elaine Stretch at Liberty” (2002).
Also screening works is A4BT member Jacqueline Dowling. She expects to show a surrealistic short she made while attending NYU. The film lineup was still being finalized at press time.
The Umbrella Show will end quietly on Sunday with the focus placed squarely on the open call art show. Display space was available to anyone who wanted to participate.
The entire event is geared to bring local artistic talent to the forefront and celebrate local arts and artists, said Ms. Weiss. It also aims to give emerging and young talent the chance to be seen or heard. The Umbrella Show was the brainchild of Arts 4 Collective, which formed about 18 months ago.
The inaugural show was the collective’s first effort to reach out to the community in a thank-you from artists who grew up on the East End, from Westhampton to East Hampton. A second group show, “The Secret Whale,” combined music and art and was held last September.
Bonac Tonic emerged from Springs when it participated in Project Vibe at the Parrish Art Museum last summer, a collaborative exhibition with different groups making art from recycled material. While Arts 4 Collective also participated, the two groups managed to miss each other. In the fall, Bonac Tonic held a series of member or open call group shows at Ashawagh Hall in Springs.
As both groups held exhibitions and word spread of their individual efforts, banding together as an even larger group seemed to make sense.
“We have more talent and more people to help get things done,” said Grant Haffner, a founder of Bonac Tonic. “We went from the five of us to being part of a big group. Together, we’re able to do things we couldn’t even think about before.”
One of their first efforts was curating changing group shows at Clovis Point winery in Jamesport. A series of month-long exhibitions were held there from February 9 through May 15. Also in February, the two groups held a single exhibition at Ashawagh Hall. Shortly afterward, the two decided their visions of helping gain exposure for young artists of the area would be better served as a single entity. The Umbrella Show is their first effort as A4BT (Arts 4 Bonac Tonic).
Putting together a three-day show is no easy feat and a devoted group of 17 artist-curators has been hustling for months to make it happen. Efforts include soliciting donations from area businesses, putting together the children’s art show, securing the bands and marketing the event.
Already, the members have their eye on the future. One dream is to become a non-profit organization. Others include holding group shows at venues other than Ashawagh Hall. Art yard sales are a possibility. So are art exhibitions that are part of community events. A joint exhibition with the Port Jefferson group, FRESH, is planned for summer. Arts4BT also plans to be part of Parrish Art Museum events.
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