New Board Members Join LongHouse Reserve

LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton has added four new members to its board of trustees.

“Through COVID-19, LongHouse is still thriving and we’re grateful to be able to grow our capacity as an organization, continue our commitment to diversity, and propel the globetrotting, multicultural vision of Jack Lenor Larsen into a bright future,” said Dianne Benson, the board’s president. “We’re thrilled to welcome these four trustees who refresh us with their new perspectives: a museum professional to ease our transition from garden to institution, a man of medicine to help guide us through this pandemic, a seasoned political and human-rights activist, and a young artist primarily interested in building things for a new generation — Caroline Baumann, Dr. Derick T. George, Ayse Manyas Kenmore, and Fitzhugh Karol.”

Caroline Baumann is a New York City-based design connoisseur. As the director of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, she oversaw the museum’s epic re-haul, a once-in-an-institution’s lifetime opportunity involving a renovation, restoration and reinvention including a unique digital museum experience that placed relevance and immersion at its core.

Following her leadership at Cooper Hewitt, she is now on a mission to continue to use design as a force for positive change, building communities and accessible experiences that foster compassion, inclusion, and a greener planet. Along with Alexandra Munroe, a long-time LongHouse trustee, Baumann, a Swiss-American, is the second board member to be a highly regarded museum professional. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Rhode Island School of Design, Royal College of Art U.S.A. Board, NYCxDesign Advisory Council, Applied Arts and Design Museum Network and Fast Company’s Impact Council. Cited as one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People,” she recently spoke at the Aspen Ideas Festival and World Economic Forum and was also awarded with the rank of Chevalier of France’s Order of Arts and Letters.

“I am deeply honored to join the LongHouse board, and serve my friend and master textile weaver, entrepreneur and collector Jack Lenor Larsen, and the entire LongHouse team and community, at a time when celebrating life with art and design is more necessary and enriching than ever,” said Baumann.

Dr. Derick T. George is the chairman and a founding member of Long Island Anesthesia Physicians, LLP (LIAP), currently the director of anesthesiology at Mather Hospital and St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson. Most recently, he was honored as Mather Hospital’s “Physician of the Year” and awarded with St. Charles Hospital’s Theodore Roosevelt Award for exceptional dedication, volunteerism and commitment to the hospital community. Dr. George holds a bachelor’s degree from The Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, City University of New York, an MD from New York University School of Medicine and an MBA from Adelphi University.

Dr. George completed his post-graduate training and residency at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. Dr. George resides in Poquot, New York, with his wife Ingrid and their two daughters.

“My friend and mentor, Dr. Richard Dranitzke, introduced me to the magical place that is LongHouse,” noted Dr. George. “The opportunity to serve on the board is a blessing. I trust that I will sustain and fulfill Jack Larson’s visionary efforts and keep his dreams of LongHouse alive for generations to come.”

Ayse Manyas Kenmore is a devoted philanthropist, having served on the boards of political, social service, human rights, and HIV/AIDS organizations — ranging from Design Industries Foundations Fighting AIDS (DIFFA), The National Aids Memorial, San Francisco Aids Foundation, The S.F. Main Library, and a Presidential Appointment to the Board of the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. Kenmore received a bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College and MBA from Stanford University and began her professional career at Condé Nast. Together with the late Robert Kenmore, she founded Equivest Partners Inc., a private merchant-banking firm.

Kenmore is an avid art collector with a passion for contemporary photographs, Orientalist and Ottoman art and textiles. Today, Kenmore resides in East Hampton with her rescue dog Kissy.

“After 30-plus years of being a Jack Lenor Larsen groupie and LongHouse devotee, my sentiments on becoming a LongHouse Trustee are joyful,” said Kenmore. “LongHouse, which has always been a sanctuary of beauty and harmony, now performs a therapeutic role in the pandemic; it’s an emotional and visual reminder that even in chaos, creativity and calm survive and thrive.”

Fitzhugh Karol is a multi-disciplined American artist, working with metal, wood, and clay to create artwork that ruminates on man’s imprint in the landscape. He received a bachelor’s degree in studio art from Skidmore College and an MFA in ceramic sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design. His practice ranges from work that can be contained within a gallery setting to large-scale public sculptures that create an inviting and unconventional way to experience art.

Karol’s work has been exhibited in New York City’s Prospect and Tappen Park, Socrates Sculpture Park and several other venues in the northeast. Karol is a winner of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge Public Art Program, was awarded the UNIQLO NYC Park Expressions Grant, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Process Space Residency, The Edward Albee Foundation Fellowship, Wassaic Project Residency, and the Socrates Sculpture Park’s Emerging Artist Fellowship and apprenticed ceramic artist Toshiko Takaezu.

Karol, LongHouse’s youngest board member, is resident artist at the architectural design and development firm The Brooklyn Home Company, and resides in Brooklyn and Springs with his wife, Lyndsay, and their two children.