Let's Ride Bikes!

On your marks, get set, go! This autumn The Church looks at the humble bicycle in a whole new light. As part of The Church’s on-going series of exhibitions exploring material culture, “RE:CYCLE — The Ubiquitous Bicycle” presents rare and atypical examples of bicycle design alongside an exceptional selection of fine art photography and video testifying to the world’s enduring relationship to travel on two wheels. The exhibition, which opens with a reception on Saturday, October 7, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., is the fruit of a series of remarkable collaborations. The show runs through December 17.

The 19 unusual bicycles on view come from the collection of the Bicycle Museum of America in New Bremen, Ohio, and were chosen by The Church co-founder Eric Fischl and the BMA’s coordinator Ryan Long. They highlight innovative ideas about the design of the bicycle. Dating from 1891 to 2017, they show how the materials and engineering of bicycles changed over time to reflect their different uses and include a c. 1898 Stoddard Cygnet, 1936 Elgin Skylark, 1960 Bowden Spacelander and 2017 Handcrafted Wooden Cycle by Warren J. Von Botbyl, among many other wonderful examples. The Church is grateful to Janet and Jim Dicke, founders of the Bicycle Museum of America, for their support of this essential component of the exhibition.

These bicycles are complemented by an exhibition of photography co-curated by Mark Lubell (former executive director of the International Center of Photography and former director of Magnum Photos) and Jennifer Tripp (independent curator and former director of print sales for Magnum Photos). Looking at the work of modern and contemporary masters of the medium — from Elliott Erwitt and Evelyn Hofer to Susan Meiselas — they have culled a selection of images from around the globe highlighting the ubiquitous nature of the bicycle. The photographs reflect the bicycle’s accessibility and practicality, its beauty and gift of freedom and its enduring presence in almost all cultures.

In addition, artist Steve Miller is lending a work by the Brazilian artist Jarbas Lopes from his Cicloviaéreabike series — an ongoing project in which he encases bicycles in intricately woven material. Otherworldly, beautiful, but still functional, these bikes are destined to be used on Lopes’s ciclovia, an ambitious series of elevated urban bike paths that have not yet been built.

The Church’s chief curator Sara Cochran is overseeing all components of the larger exhibition and will contribute a selection of contemporary video works that incorporate the bicycle in varied and poignant ways, reflecting our reliance on and love for the two wheels.

The Bicycle Museum of America has nearly 150 bicycles on display in its galleries and 800 in its collection. Its guided and self-guided tours allow visitors to explore the history of the bicycle and how it helped shape the American landscape through innovation and design. The museum’s mission is to provide an understanding through interpretation, social relevance, and the dissemination of information on bicycles and cycling on a global and historical platform.

Ryan Long graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in North American History. His position at the Bicycle Museum of America allows him to indulge his passion for preserving human history, as he believes history defines and gives context to our present. Through its collection and scholarship, the Bicycle Museum offers a unique opportunity to preserve not only a litany of historic bicycles but the history behind them and the manufacturers that created them.

The Church is at 48 Madison Street in Sag Harbor. For more information, visit thechurchsagharbor.org.