‘Return to A Place By the Sea’ Revisits the Art of ‘The Eastville Four’

Nearly a quarter of a century ago, an exhibition featuring the work of four Black artists went on view in Albany at the Rathbone Gallery of Russell Sage College. That show, organized by Jim Richard Wilson, opened in February 1999, before moving on to Christine Nienaber Contemporary Art in New York in April, and finally, to Arlene Bujese Gallery in East Hampton in late May of that year.

Titled “A Place By the Sea,” the exhibition was notable because, at the time, African American artists were struggling to find their place in the world of contemporary art. But this talented quartet, Nanette Carter (b. 1954), Gregory Coates (b. 1961), Al Loving (1935-2005) and Frank Wimberley (b.1926), were not only accomplished artists each deserving of recognition in their own right, they also had a strong East End tie and, known as “The Eastville Four,” lived at least part of the year in the Eastville/SANS neighborhood of Sag Harbor, the tight knit African American community on the eastern edge of the village.

Now, 24 years later, “The Eastville Four” are being reunited once again through their art in “Return to A Place By the Sea,” an exhibition opening February 4 at The Church in Sag Harbor. Curated by The Church’s co-founder, April Gornik, and chief curator, Sara Cochran, the new show highlights work the four artists were making in the 1990s and updates the conversation by exploring more recent pieces as well.

“Jim Wilson worked out on Long Island before going to the Rathbone in Albany, so he knew of them,” explained Cochran when asked how the curator of the initial show came to present the work of these artists in the state’s capital back in 1999. “He brought the idea of the four artists together. There’s a very strong relationship to them. Al Loving and Frank Wimberly were the more senior members of the group, Nanette Carter and Gregory Coates were much younger.

“Al was a mentor to many, Frank lived on the same street as Nanette’s parents and Gregory Coates was coming out here a lot,” Cochran added of the group’s local ties. “Frank’s house was a center for music and art. Nanette took a job at Guild Hall right out of college to be able to go to openings and that’s where she met Al Loving. They were close personally and artistically.

“Jim was really interested in the three things that brought them together,” she added. “They were all supported by the Studio Museum in Harlem, they all showed at Cinque Gallery in New York and they were all here.”

Gornik explains that the four artists spent at least half their time in the SANS community, and though it’s impossible to go back and determine exactly where most of the paintings in this show were made, she finds the influence of the region on their art is unmistakable.

“There is a sensibility of the air and movement in their work, and also, their sensibility as Black people in this culture,” said Gornik. “The professionalism in the Eastville community was so extreme and there are unbelievably accomplished people who have been there for a long time. It was a great influence for Black artists at that time. It was necessary to have an artistic community that was theirs and they understood they were being wrongly ignored and could make something powerful and beautiful and be a family for each other. Jim Wilson nicknamed them ‘The Eastville Four.’ It was a construct, but they stood for all of that.”

“Nanette was 9 when she started to come out here and she talks about the sense of light, the sense of the landscape as something that was a huge aesthetic shock for her,” added Cochran. “All of these artists had their major studios in the city, but what is interesting about Nanette is the idea of the East End as a crucible for her artistic awakening.”

“One thing that Sara has been emphasizing is, this is an opportunity to reassess the East End as a hotbed for the origins of Abstract Expressionism,” added Gornik. “I think the work of most of these artists is definitely in that context, but they are ignored as part of the Abstract Expressionist school in America. This is all part of reassessing, which should be taking place as people try to overcome their prejudices and the way society has ignored the importance of these artists.

“There’s an emphasis on purity of endeavor in their work. They loved what they were doing and had their own sub-community going and a healthy situation out here, even though they weren’t getting the national attention,” added Gornik. “There are so many artists who could be categorized in the same way, the most notable being Kerry James Marshall. He’s such a great artist, it is insane he wasn’t heard of more widely. He’s astonishing, and there are tons of people that deserve more recognition.”

As a successful artist herself, Gornik has personal understanding of the biases that have long existed against female artists and artists of color who have been overlooked by the art world.

“As a young artist, you were aware of the size of ads and articles. You got a message when you saw Kerry James Marshall in Art America on the second to last page with a short column. It was just the way people paid attention. I fed into that,” said Gornik. “It’s great Instagram and the internet is making a difference in accessibility and highlighting the importance of these artists, but it didn’t fall to these artists to receive the bandwidth they deserved.”

Interestingly enough, neither Gornik nor Cochran had ever heard of “The Eastville Four” until fairly recently, when Gornik came across a story about the artists while working on a newsletter for the Eastville community.

“Two years ago, I stumbled on ‘The Eastville Four’ and came upon the show,” recalled Gornik. “I thought, ’This is amazing.’ I didn’t know this was happening and that Arlene Bujese was involved. I was an ignorant white person. Nanette is a kind of goddess with amazing fluidity in her art and person. I became fixated on it and we talked about the positivity of revisiting and updating the show.”

“I think what’s really interesting in drawing upon this older exhibition is that Jim Wilson was really interested in the idea of networks that supported these artists,” noted Cochran. “This network was homegrown and very active and it kept these artists going — and the world finally caught up.”

“Return to A Place By the Sea” features four works per artist and Gornik notes that the idea is not to replicate the original exhibition, but rather acknowledge it and let the artists, three of whom are still living, present solid examples of their work, both past and present.

“The original curator had picked people who were friends and had an active relationship,” said Gornik. “It was expansive for them and it felt big, and that deserved to be celebrated with ‘A Place By the Sea.’

“I hope ‘Return to A Place By the Sea’ feels similar,” she added. “I’m positive it will, because it’s really good work.”

“Return to A Place By the Sea” opens with a reception on Saturday, February 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Church, 48 Madison Street, Sag Harbor. The exhibition remains on view through May 27. Visit thechurchsagharbor.org for more details.