‘Richard Law and Friends’ Show at Southampton Cultural Center

From Monday, June 2, to Sunday, June 22, Southampton Cultural Center will present “Richard Law and Friends,” an exhibition featuring the work of 11 East End artists. An opening reception for the show will be held on Sunday, June 8, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the SCC Gallery.

“Richard Law and Friends” is the second exhibition by Law at SCC. Curated by Leslie Johnson, this collection includes street photography and collages by Richard Law and fine art and pottery from other East End artists Ann Barzola, Gerry Giliberti, Eileen Kelly, Dave Kornrumpf, Greta Larson, Bruce Lieberman, Dinah Maxwell-Smith, Zelie Rellim, Trevor Parker, Katherine Robinson and Mark Testa.

“We wanted to collaborate with other artists, some exhibiting for the first time, and provide a place for artists and musicians to present their work,” Law explained. “This year we have added a BYOD — bring your own dinner — ‘Artist Talk’ on June 10, from 6:45 to 9 p.m., and a night of acoustic music and song on Thursday, June 19, from 6:45 to 9 p.m.”

This exhibition is a continuation of Law’s prior work which has been presented locally at Ashawagh Hall, the Water Mill Museum and Guild Hall. Images for this upcoming show were selected from Law’s 50 year archive as a street photographer and his new collage work.

Scenes from the East End and places as far away as Saudi Arabia, China and Russia, are included as an artistic attempt to demonstrate that people are all more alike than different and we are all in this together.

Law’s photographs are inspired by Norman Rockwell who Law says was his entry into photography. As a child, he thought Rockwell’s paintings and illustrations of everyday life, which hung in his family’s dining room, were actually photographs. At around age 12 he was told they were paintings, so he set off to create similar images photographically. Law’s large, colorful and often humorous photos are suitable for the family; children will even have their own eye level “Kids Corner” at the SCC.

The opening reception for the show will be held on Sunday morning, June 8, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“I wanted to give people a place to take the family without fighting traffic — and at the same time, in the park across the street, is the Southampton Farmer’s Market,” he explained. “I thought it could be a nice way to spend a morning in the Hamptons.

Southampton Cultural Center is at 25 Pond Lane in Southampton. For more information, visit scc-arts.org.