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Quietly, a temporary art gallery has opened in Sag Harbor. Cloaked behind an ordinary façade, fine art is on display behind the plain white storefront. A hint that something unusual lies within is found in a question posed on paper in the window: “What in the world do we have in common?”
Walking through the door, the question is not easily answered. Photography, pottery and paintings have all found a home here. Styles differ, ranging from pop/illustrative to abstraction that pulls from classical painting. The jarring and discarded proudly pronounce themselves beautiful. Sculpture is part of the plan.
What is shared is simple, said curator Ana Maria Sanchez: She knows all the artists and most know each other. Many teach or have taught at Long Island University. There are ties to C.W Post and the former Southampton College campus. Others artists met while art students in LIU’s master of fine arts programs.
In each case, the artwork is layered with meaning and executed with technical expertise and an intimate understanding of art history, Ms. Sanchez said. In most cases, the artists do not exhibit on the East End or have done so infrequently. This is another bond that links the artists together.
Most have exhibited nationally or internationally. Museum shows or inclusion in museum collections are part of most artists’ credits.
“These are all artists that I think are worth looking at,” she said. “I believe in what they’re doing. When I found this space, it seemed a perfect place for a guerrilla art show.”
One show turned into two, which has now turned into three. The exhibitions are presented under the auspices of the Power of Space Gallery at Headley Studio. The gallery is primarily about the ways ideas find expression in the hands of artists.
Ms. Sanchez, who lives in Sag Harbor, has curated several guerrilla exhibitions with artist Susan Gentile-Hackett, now of Maine. Ms. Gentile-Hackett formerly owned the Farmhouse Restaurant in East Hampton. Both women currently have work on view.
The two women met as students at Southampton College and began mounting roving exhibitions there. They paired up again in July when Headley Studio owner Stephen Hadley gave the go-ahead to mount shows there. Last year, the site housed the Esses Studio —another temporary gallery.
The current exhibition will travel to the GasLight Art and Wine Gallery in Charleston, South Carolina, after closing on September 7. The next show in Sag Harbor will remain on view through October. Afterward, the space will be handed back to Mr. Hadley, a clothing designer who also owns Generous Fashions, located next door.
The current exhibition features pigment print photographs of discarded dolls by Lois Youmans of Merrick and colorful paintings and found object sculptures by Robert Nasatka of Shelter Island. Black and white photographs of natural landscapes tucked in urban areas by Paul Anthony Melhado of Queens are included. So are paintings by Ms. Gentile-Hackett. Pottery and paintings by Ms. Sanchez, which double as studies for her future large installations, are on view.
The next show will feature sculpture and paintings by Dan Christoffel and mixed media pieces by Frank Olt.
The gallery is located at 40 Madison Street, Sag Harbor; for information, call 516-376-2121.
on Sep 1, 2009