Springs Mystery Art Sale Returns To Ashawagh Hall

“The job of the artist is to always to deepen the mystery,” Sir Francis Bacon said.

The English philosopher, statesman and scientist would heartily approve of the Springs Mystery Art Sale, which has been called the most exciting art event on the East End.

Back by popular demand, after a hiatus last year, the Springs Mystery Art Sale this weekend will feature more than 1,000 pieces of art, exhibited anonymously, signed on the back only and sold for $20 each.

Between 40 and 60 pieces will be selected for a silent auction and about 20 go into a live auction during the closing party. It all takes place at Ashawagh Hall.

Patrons could be purchasing an Eric Fischl or a Paton Miller. Or they could be purchasing an elementary school student’s artwork.

Can you tell the difference?

Does it really matter if you love it?

“The mystery element is hugely fun—you’ve got charming kids’ work mixed in with professional artists—some quite valuable: David Salley, April Gornik, Randy Rosenthal, Peter Dayton, to name a few. People view the exhibit and find it stunning to see such a large array of artwork,” said Sara Faulkner, one of many organizers—all involved parents and teachers at the Springs School—and an artist in her own right.

In years past, local personalities such as Liza Minelli, Michael Barishnikov, Dan Ackroyd, and Jimmy Buffet have contributed pieces to the exhibition and sale.

The idea was conceived when Ms. Faulkner went to see a friend’s exhibit at “The Secret Postcard Sale” at The Royal College of Art. She said the idea never left her and four years ago, she suggested it to the Springs School PTA. Ms. Faulkner’s two children, Mali, an eighth-grader and Frank, a fifth-grader, attend Springs School.

From the beginning, it’s been enormously popular. And why not? Attendees buy tickets at the door, and are given red dots to select the artwork they want to purchase. They walk into a huge exhibition and choose pictures that speak to them, all for $20 each. It is based purely on one’s reaction to art and not who the artist is.

“Enriching our children’s lives through art is becoming something that unfortunately, more and more, we need to take into our own hands. In Springs, we’re lucky. We live in a very rich historical art community,” Ms. Faulkner said. “The kids get so excited when they see a red dot next to their painting. They are filled with pride! And it teaches them that you can make a living as an artist.”

Ms. Faulkner is thrilled to talk about a new aspect to the Mystery Art Sale, which features a Festival of the Arts free day of workshops, run by artists in a variety of media, on Saturday, May 13.

This year the sale will feature artwork from the Angela Landa Elementary School in Havana, Cuba. Irena Grant, a parent of an eighth-grader, was in Havana on holiday and met a teacher from this school.

“She told them what we were doing and it’s opened up a whole cultural exchange,” Ms. Faulkner said.

Some 40 pieces of art were collected in Havana this week and brought back to Springs. In exchange, Springs School parents Ms. Grant and Paula Sarlo brought down art supplies and even a laptop for the school, which has very little.

“Golden Eagle Art in East Hampton has been very generous with donated supplies,” Ms. Faulkner said.

She said that the parents and teachers are so excited about the exchange with Havana, as it opens up many possibilities.

“We have a large Hispanic population here,” she said. “This is an opportunity to develop links between creative cultural communities in other countries. It’s just the beginning.”

The “two-way street” Ms. Faulkner describes between the two schools extends to the artist community at large as well.

The proceeds go directly to the Visiting Artists Program, an art enrichment initiative for kindergarten through eighth grade students that enables artists to talk to students talk about their craft. Some of the disciplines include abstract painting, cartooning, printmaking and sculpture.

“Art is so essential in schools.Creative thinking helps with mathematics and so much more,” Ms. Faulkner said. “Having the artists come in to the schools and show students what they do is so vital and important.”

A sample of these workshops takes place from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 13. The sale runs Thursday, May 11, and Friday, May 12, from 4 to 7 p.m.; Saturday, May 13, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, May 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The closing party—when the artists are revealed—is Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m. with the live auction at 5pm.

But get there early.

“By 1 p.m. the line reaches past the general store!” Ms. Faulkner said.