A New Art Festival Comes to Agawam Park This Weekend

A new art happening is coming to town, and from September 16 to 18 it will bring an eclectic lineup of creative souls from around the country to the East End.

The inaugural Southampton Art Festival will be offered in Agawam Park in Southampton Village this weekend, and in this, its first year, the fine art fair will feature more than 40 artists offering works for sale including painting and mixed media pieces, photography and more.

The festival is the brainchild of artist Angus Macaulay who works much of the year from his studio in New London, Connecticut, but said he was drawn to create this event in Southampton due to the positive reception he’s received for his work in the many art shows he participates in on the East End every summer.

An expressionistic artist, Macaulay notices a heightened appreciation for work like his among East End and New York City collectors and he finds the population is savvy when it comes to understanding the appeal of modern works.

“New England is known for more traditional tastes. When you get into New York, it just completely changes, and the Hamptons, I would say, is more focused on contemporary art,” Macaulay explained in a recent phone interview. “I think a lot of people there also have apartments in New York City and are exposed to the arts and the latest trends in contemporary art. I’ve always felt it’s been super validating to me. A New York City crowd likes my work.”

In assembling the lineup for the Southampton Art Festival, Macaulay reached out to artists who are also friends he has come to know on the fine art circuit and the events, many of them juried, that they all do every year.

“These are not easy shows to get into. The better and bigger the show, the harder it is to get into,” he noted. “I have artist friends coming into this festival in support of me. This is the main reason I wanted to do this — to add to the schedule in the Hamptons — because it’s been so successful for me and is such a stimulating New York crowd. Everybody you meet is interesting, and I love the circuit we do.”

And when it comes to hosting a fine art show fair on the East End, Macaulay feels that Southampton Village and Agawam Park is the idea setting for his art festival. He notes that unlike the larger art shows, which are often designed with profits for the organizer foremost in mind, this one is created entirely by and for artists themselves.

“I did a show last year there with the Southampton Artist Association,” said Macaulay of Agawam Park. “It’s such a beautiful little idyllic park, attached to downtown Southampton, which is one of the highest end areas in the Hamptons. That’s why I particularly like the setting of the park.

“It also makes for a nice atmosphere to have an artist run an event,” added Macauley, who notes that this festival is different for just that very reason. “We’re not trying to make money off the artists’ booth fees. There are plenty of private promoters and large shows that get as many artists as they can for the booth fees. This is a small, quality show and a lot of these artists are friends of mine.

“It’s an artist run event and I’m on mission to get the word out,” he said. “I want all my friends to do well. But this is a first year show, which is really tricky because no one knows about it yet.”

But as East End residents know, once Labor Day arrives the area becomes a true place for celebrating community. To that end, in addition to featuring his artists friends from around the country, Macaulay has also invited several members of the Southampton Artists Association (SAA) to present their work at the festival as well.

“We’ve got eight SAA members who like to do these shows and I invited them to participate at a lower cost,” he explained. “They’re not professional and they don’t do the art show circuit, so they’re not used to the scene. But I wanted to encourage them to participate. They’re really enthusiastic and I wanted it to be very community involved.

“I like the idea of supporting my artist friends and having another event done with the right intentions,” he said. “I feel like I’m supporting them in this and would like to keep doing that. It’s a show in one of my favorite places in the Hamptons. I’ll be applying to the village again to bring it back for the same week next year — and I hope I get it.”

The Southampton Art Festival runs Friday, September 16, through Sunday, September 18, in Agawam Park in Southampton Village. Hours are Friday, noon to 6 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Artists will be showing and selling their works from booths where they will meet and talk with the audience. For more information visit southamptonartfest.com.