Ille Art’s Sweet Collaboration

Ille Arts in Amagansett is embarking on a joint project with Harlem-based Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art & Storytelling (SCHMAS) with an exhibition featuring the work of Damien Davis and Lina Puerta, two of the museum’s artists in residence.

On Friday, August 16, an opening reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at Ille Arts, 171 Main Street, Amagansett, with Lauren Kelley, director of SCHMAS, in attendance.

Ille’s mission with this exhibition is to expand Sugar Hill’s reach on the East End while connecting collectors and artists. The exhibition, organized by Sara De Luca, founder of Ille Arts, and curated by art advisor Wendy Cromwell, showcases the talent of Davis and Puerta.

Mr. Davis, a New York based artist who was born in Louisiana and raised in Arizona, invites viewers to enter a space in which his personal experience gives shape to themes of endurance and hope. His practice explores historical representations of blackness by seeking to unpack the visual language of various cultures and question how these societies code/decode representations of race through craft, design and digital modes of production. He holds a BFA in Studio Art and an MA in Visual Arts Administration from New York University and more of his work can be seen at damiendavisstudio.com.

Ms. Puerta, who was born in New Jersey and raised in Colombia, lives and works in New York City. Her art examines the relationship between the artificial and natural world. She creates textural forms and composition out of concrete, clay, resin, wood, fabric, and other media, exploring notions of control, consumerism and life’s fragility. She holds an MS in Art Education from Queens College/CUNY. See more of her work at linapuerta.net.