Bartley's Artistic Quarantine

Please Note: This event has been suspended as of June 3, 2020 — notification will be posted if it is rescheduled. - ed

Artists don’t stop working just because they’re socially distancing. On Friday, June 5, at 5 p.m. Alicia G. Longwell, Ph.D., The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Chief Curator at the Parrish Art Museum, will lead a live-stream illustrated conversation with Sag Harbor-based photographer and Parrish collection artist Mary Ellen Bartley, who recently completed a 30-day photography project in quarantine.

“Mary Ellen Bartley’s story unfolded during a socially-distanced conversation on a neighboring front porch and I immediately wanted to delve into this fascinating project,” said Longwell.

Bartley is known for her photographs exploring the tactile and formal qualities of the printed book — and its potential for abstraction. By emphasizing the unique “aura” and materiality of printed matter, her work celebrates its textural and tactile properties.

Last spring, the artist was in Bologna, Italy, for her dream project: photographing the studio and library of acclaimed artist Giorgio Morandi. That mission was cut short by the outbreak of COVID-19 in that region, and Bartley returned to the United States in mid-March.

In quarantine back home in Sag Harbor, the artist set up seven household objects in her attic studio, resolving to make a photograph on each of the 30 days of April “no matter what.” The resulting images — an homage to Morandi’s process of reduction, repetition, and restraint — also chronicle Bartley’s daily resolve to continue her work. Many of those photographs will be shown during Longwell’s talk with the artist.

The public is invited to join the live stream talk — part of the Parrish Art Museum’s “Friday Nights Live!” series — and take part in a live chat following the presentation. Log in information is at parrishart.org.