'East End Collected7' Brings East End Artists to SAC

You could say the art scene is officially back on the South Fork. On February 11, Southampton Arts Center (SAC) opened its new exhibition, “East End Collected7,” and over the course of the Saturday evening reception, more than 700 people stopped by to take in the work. They were ready for a dose of celebration. Even Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman was in attendance, not as a politician, but as an artist with work in the show as well as a musician and he performed on drums in the middle of the main gallery space with his band.

This show is the seventh iteration of an exhibition first envisioned by its curator — artist and Southampton resident Paton Miller — more than a decade ago when the concept for what SAC would eventually become was still in its nascent stage. Not only did the recent opening mark a return of sorts after three years in which the art world was defined and dominated by fears of COVID-19, but it also marked the arrival of Christina Mossaides Strassfield who joined SAC just last month as the organization’s new executive director.

“You never saw so many happy people, it was like a coming out party,” said Miller in a phone interview. “People were so glad to be out and seeing this great exhibition and welcome Christina into the fold. It made a spectacular show.”

“For me, it was the first visual program we’ve had and it was truly amazing,” added Strassfield. “I’ve known Paton for 30 years, I think this is what SAC is all about — building community through the arts. The music played by Jay and the celebration of the arts in painting, sculpture, video — it was extraordinary. I love the fact it’s our 10th anniversary and the seventh ‘East End Collected’ and I hope it goes on for years to come.”

Miller explained that the concept for this show, and all previous “East End Collected” installments, is to highlight the talent and vision of artists who live and work in the region. While many of them are household names who show their work frequently, others may not be well known at all, despite their considerable talents.

“The process of curating is an organic one and it’s hard to explain how it happens,” Miller said when asked about the artists he chooses for the show. “It’s an intangible process. Sometimes I’m contacted by artists. One time I went to Rogers Memorial Library and saw work by a guy who reminded me of William Blake. He paints in his mother’s basement and I’ve never heard of him before or since.”

While Miller has a huge list of artist contacts he can tap into for this show, he also finds that each year, he is introduced to new artists who have been working professionally in the region for decades. That was the case this time around with Hiroyuki Hamada, a Springs artist who has two wall sculptures in this show that Miller just loves.

“I was at Hiroyuki’s studio recently,” said Miller. “He’s been here since ’74 and I just met him six months ago. What a significant artist he is.”

By all accounts, this year’s “East End Collected” show is massive, and it features 44 artists who have contributed some 140 works. Though there were moments during the installation process that Miller worried he had invited too many artists, in the end, he notes, it was just the right amount.

“I’m doing it through instinct,” he said of the curation process. “I was happy how it turned out. It’s a group show with lots of work, but everybody’s got their own space and each has a personality.”

Back in 2014 when Miller curated the first “East End Collected,” installment, he instituted a “no repeat” clause, meaning that no artists from previous shows would have work in a subsequent one. But after six shows highlighting more than 300 artists from the area, this year, he has scuttled his own rule.

“‘East End Collected7’ is a wonderful show. Everyone loved the work,” said Miller. “Sometimes, a theme can be a bit of straitjacket. This time we wanted to put up a great collection of work and celebrate what we hope is close to the end of the pandemic.”

This time around, Miller also had the keen eye of Strassfield. She comes to SAC with 30 years of experience from Guild Hall, the last two decades of which she spent as chief curator and museum director. That means for the first time since creating “East End Collected,” Miller had someone with an extensive curatorial background to work alongside him during the hanging process.

“Christina and I have known each other for a long time. I even taught her daughter art 20-something years ago,” said Miller. “I curate the shows and place the works, but this time, I had help — not only Christina but the installers too. It’s 140-some works and a big Rubik’s Cube. This is the best show yet.”

“It was challenging,” confirmed Strassfield. “This was only the second show I’ve curated in this space. Of course, Paton chose the artists and the works and I only saw them for the first time when hanging it. Having that dialogue back and forth is refreshing, to give new incentives and ideas. What is the dialogue and the rhythm of each room? It’s wonderful, I think we’ve given each artist space to show their work in the best way possible. It was a pleasure and fun to bounce ideas off each other and it went smoothly.”

Ultimately, all the work found its space and Miller, who after 10 years of curating “East End Collected” worried that he had invited too many artists for this edition, could sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor at an opening for the (hopefully) post-COVID ages.

“It’s funny because it was so much, yet made so doable because of Christina’s help,” he said. “It happened right before our eyes, like a pop-up book. You open the cover and there’s the show. I enjoy the process very much. It’s a bit of a mystery to me too and a lot like painting. You’re going somewhere you’ve never been before and when it works out, great, or you rework it.

“Sometimes you hit a log jam when you’re curating. It was wonderful to have her to help me.”

“East End Collected7” artists: Kelynn Z. Alder, Isadora Capraro, Dan Christensen Studios, Janet Culbertson, Eugenio Cuttica, Franco Cuttica, Lautaro Cuttica, James dePasquale, Rainey Day Erwin, Phyllis Falino, Margaret Garrett, Tiana Grampus, Elaine Grove, Lyllis Halsey, Hiroyuki Hamada, Glen Hanson, Gary Hartmann, Peter Hill, Candace Hill-Montgomery, Terri Hyland, Oscar Jackman, Nathan Slate Joseph, Anna Jurinich, Mary Lambert, James Ledogar, Christine Matthäi, Michael Meehan, Christian Miller, Paton Miller, Sam Miller, Oscar Molina, Dave O., Patrick Peters, John Pomianowski, Zelie Rellim, John Rist, John Ross Rist, Jay Schneiderman, George Schulman, Brenda Simmons, Liz Sloan, Adam Straus and Ann Lambert Waits.

“East End Collected7” runs through April 29 at SAC. Curator Paton Miller moderates panel discussions on Saturday, March 4, with artists Kelynn Adler, Isadora Capraro, Lautaro Cuttica and George Schulman, and on Saturday, March 18, with artists Franco Cuttica, Glen Hansen, Oscar Jackman, Mary Lambert Adam Straus. Both discussions are at 3 p.m. Southampton Arts Center is at 25 Jobs Lane, Southampton. Visit southamptonartscenter.org for details.