The Arts Center at Duck Creek is up and running with a full schedule of art and music on the docket in the months ahead.
Currently on view in the John Little Barn is ”Home Again,” a show running now through July 18 that highlights the legacy of Duck Creek Farm as part of the East End’s rich artistic heritage with an exhibition of historic works by its former owner, painter John Little. From July 24 to September 12, Duck Creek will highlight the influence a coastal environment has on artists in a two-part show in the barn featuring Montauk artist Charles Manion and Australian painter Wayne Magrin. Elizabeth Duffy will close the season with her exhibit “Wearing” (September 18 to October 24), in which the artist dismantles repurposed rag rugs to create artworks that subtly reveal the history of their materials.
On view through July 18 in the Little Gallery at Duck Creek is the three-person show “Sunsets on Mars are Blue,” in which Kylie Manning, Grace Meltzer and Jay Miriam explore the place between figuration and abstraction in painting. In July and August, local artist Jennifer Cross will recreate her studio environment with recent paintings in “Present Tense” (July 24 to August 29), and Claire Watson lets her repurposed leather materials steer the compositions in her exhibit on view from September 4 to October 10.
The 2021 music series, organized by Duck Creek’s music director, Peter Watrous, will officially open on June 26 with vibraphonist Joel Ross’s Octet Parables, featuring original music by Ross commissioned by the Arts Center at Duck Creek. Ross has also curated two concerts for Duck Creek this season, the first featuring saxophonist Maria Grand on June 27 and the second with vibraphonist Patricia Brennan on September 25.
On July 3, world-renowned guitarist Bill Frisell will perform his “part jazz, part rock, part country and part free improvisation” with a trio featuring Rudy Royston on drums and Thomas Morgan on bass. On July 25, young vocalist Samara Joy will play with a trio led by Pasquale Grasso, a budding star in jazz guitar. On August 8, Duck Creek will present a workshop performance of “Portrait and a Dream,” a new opera about the life work of Jackson Pollock, performed by the new music ensemble Contemporaneous. Using interviews and conversations with Pollock, composer Brian Petuch builds a musical imagination of the creative life of this compelling artist.
Duck Creek’s New Classical Series showcases three concerts by classically trained musicians who stretch the boundaries of their genre. On July 10, composers Ben Brody and Alex Weston will explore the intersection of acoustic elements and processed sounds. On August 22, the series will feature violinist Darian Thomas, a mediaqueer artist whose work is rooted in exploring the intersectionality of genre, identities (imposed and/or claimed) and artistic medium. On August 28, the Kalia Vandever Quartet and The Westerlies will close the New Classical Series. Vandever will open with a quartet playing her original music, and The Westerlies will perform their own tunes, as well as two new compositions written by Vandever and commissioned by the Arts Center at Duck Creek. On September 4 over Labor Day weekend, trumpeter and Duck Creek alumnus Adam O’Farrill and his quartet, Stranger Days perform. As always, audience members are encouraged to bring a beach chair, a picnic and enjoy the evening. All events are free, but space and parking are limited, so arrive early. Some programs may require a reservation. Concerts are weather dependent; check the website, duckcreekarts.org, for updates. The Arts Center at Duck Creek is at 127 Squaw Road in East Hampton.
Here’s the full music schedule. All programs run from 5 to 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
June 27: María Grand Trio
July 3: Bill Frisell Trio featuring Rudy Royston and Thomas Morgan
July 10: New Classical Series: Alex Weston and Ben Brody
July 25: Samara Joy Quartet featuring Pasquale Grasso
August 7: Portrait and a Dream, a workshop of Brian Petuch’s Jackson Pollock Opera — 6 p.m.
August 22: New Classical Series: Darian Thomas
August 28: New Classical Series: Kalia Vandever Quartet and the Westerlies
September 4: Adam O’Farrill’s Stranger Days
September 25: Patricia Brennan Quartet
Staff Writer on Jun 14, 2021