'Beauty Out of Bounds' by Anne Sherwood Pundyk

East End Arts (EEA) in Riverhead presents “Beauty Out of Bounds,” Anne Sherwood Pundyk’s first solo exhibition on the East End. In this show, the artist challenges convention with her large unstretched paintings, stitched works on paper, photography and artist’s book. The show runs through May 5.opens with a reception on Saturday, March 23, from 4 to 7 p.m. and coincides with the EEA annual “PerformHER” collaborative tribute to female composers and songwriters to celebrate women’s history month. EEA music students co-perform with dance students from Studio East Dance Center starting at 7 p.m. at the Jamesport Meeting House. Tickets can be purchased in advance and gallery-goers are encouraged to attend.

“Beauty Out of Bounds” spans across both EEA Galleries in the Arts District on Main Street in Riverhead, and includes several gallery events to widen the conversation. The exhibition showcases a variety of Pundyk’s color- filled works across the two galleries, many on view for the first time. Her large-scale unstretched paintings layer stained sections of drop cloth canvas with geometrics, downpours of color, unapologetic stitched threads, crisp lines and pressed grids of paint. The smaller, intricate works on stitched paper exchange trial-and-error methods with her larger canvases. A series of photographs of obscured handwritten journals introduce the idea of fine art and the written word coming together in the artist’s creative journey. Pundyk’s artist’s book, “The Garden,” is at the heart of the exhibition with its pages of prints and stories pinned to the wall. Collectively, the work tells the story of trauma and forgiveness, challenging the viewer to think differently.

“By setting aside received wisdom, I make room for curiosity, investigation, and especially vulnerability,” Pundyk recounts. “This is the experience I want to open for my audience in ‘Beauty Out of Bounds.”

In her teens, Pundyk studied at The Corcoran School in Washington, D.C. under artist Sam Gilliam before becoming a student at Pomona College, where she found herself exposed to the art scenes in California and Paris. She moved her studies to the East Coast as a graduate student at the Rhode Island School of Design and then settled in New York City. She relocated her studio to Mattituck a decade ago, where all works for the exhibition were created.

Pundyk is an active EEA member whose works have been shown in several of the council’s exhibitions.

“East End Arts has become the primary cultural hub on the North Fork,” she noted. “I am excited to show here because of the breadth of its community engagement combined with its commitment to a genuine contemporary aesthetic discourse.”

To further the show’s experience for visitors, “Beauty Out of Bounds” expands its storytelling beyond the visual works to include five interactive programs during the run of the exhibition:

“Finding Art in Generational Trauma” with filmmaker Mary Hanlon and art writer David Cohen on Saturday, April 6, at 1 p.m. in the EEA Main Gallery.

“Painted Space/Architectural Space” with architect Andrew Berman on Sunday, April 14, at 1 p.m. in the 11 West Gallery.

“Artist to Artist” with artist Rainer Gross on Saturday, April 20, at 1 p.m. in the 11 West Gallery.

“How to Defy Dogma in ‘Beauty Out of Bounds’” with art producer, curator Jill Brienza on Saturday, April 27, at 1 p.m. in the 11 West Gallery.

Rites of Spring Music Festival: “Sounds of Images III Presents Strange and Wonderful” with cellist Mariel Roberts and readers from the North Fork community on Sunday, May 5, at 5 p.m. in the 11 West Gallery.

Anne Sherwood Pundyk’s “Beauty Out of Bounds” will be shown in EEA’s two galleries, a five minute walk apart, in downtown Riverhead. The galleries are free and open to the public. The EEA Main Gallery is located at 133 East Main Street in Riverhead. The 11 West Gallery is located at 11 West Main Street, Peconic Crossing, Riverhead. Visit eastendarts.org or call 631-727-0900 for details.