Summer Fun at The Arts Center at Duck Creek

Located on historic Duck Creek Farm in the Springs hamlet of East Hampton, The Arts Center at Duck Creek is a not-for-profit providing free, innovative arts programming for our community. This property was purchased by the Town of East Hampton in 2006, and since its adaptation as an arts center in 2018, has hosted 49 exhibitions supporting 70 artists, 49 concerts featuring 230 Musicians and 47 community outreach events involving over 21 community Partnerships.

Here is The Arts Center at Duck Creek’s 2024 season schedule:

2024 Family Night Series — Mondays, July and August, 5 to 7 p.m.

Get ready for free culturally enriching evenings, featuring a kid-friendly dinner alongside art projects and musical guests, including Grammy-nominated artists 123 Andés (July 15) and Flor Bromley (August 12), as well as The Boys & Girls Club of Shinnecock Nation (July 22) and Goat on a Boat Theatre (August 5). Folks of all ages are invited to join in an array of arts, crafts, entertainment and food.

2024 Exhibitions in the John Little Barn:

“Natalie Edgar: 1970s Paintings” (May 4 to June 2) — This exhibition features work created a mere stone’s throw from the gallery at Duck Creek. Edgar’s journey as a painter began with her mentor Mark Rothko, at Brooklyn College. She earned an Art History degree from Columbia University and later became a critic at Art News, emerging as a formidable presence in the art world.

“Allison Gildersleeve: Breathing Underwater” (June 10 to July 9) — Through a series of visual contradictions, Brooklyn-based artist Allison Gildersleeve’s seemingly familiar environments jettison the natural order of things in favor of a space that uses the variability of memory as her only guide. Her landscapes and interiors are painted in high-key color and thick gesture, offset with the simplicity of silhouetted forms disproportionate scale.

“All the Things,” curated by Erika Ranee (July 13 to August 11) — This show will feature work by six artists who defy the conventions of traditional painting — Mike Cloud, Daniel John Gadd, Carl E. Hazlewood, Leeza Meksin, Jeanne Reynal and Rachel Eulena Williams. Adeptly blurring the boundaries between “support” and “surface,” they employ techniques such as manipulating stretcher bars, cutting canvas, and integrating diverse materials to construct their artworks rather than solely relying on paint.

“Jonathan Shlafer” (August 31 to September 29) — Jonathan Shlafer, an Amagansett-based sculptor, has spent the past few years crafting a distinctive exploration of forms influenced by the materials and natural scenery of the East End. Using basic tools and unconventional methods, he works with salvaged wood, intricately carving and refining its natural shapes. Shlafer uses oils, bleaching, or fire to unveil the inherent textual beauty of the wood finish. In addition to these wooden works, this exhibition will feature large-scale gestural drawings.

2024 exhibitions in the Little Gallery:

“Francisco Daniel Cabrera: (Chemical) Paradise” (May 4 to June 2) — This body of work began in 2015 when Cabrera worked at a gas station in Amagansett. A receipt accidentally smeared with hand sanitizer led the artist to discover an exciting and responsive new medium in thermal receipt paper. Cabrera began weaving panels of receipt paper and activating them with chemicals and pigments, developing techniques that recall abstract expressionism and surrealist concepts.

“Karen May: Artforum Interventions” (June 10 to July 9) — Through her drawings on Artforum advertisements, Karen May offers spontaneous responses, reactions, and redactions to images of contemporary art. By liberating this visual stimulus from its original context, May prompts us to reconsider a creative process that is free from the impositions of a commerce-driven culture.

“Erika Ranee: Feelings” (July 13 to August 11) — Using a diverse range of techniques, Erika Ranee captures the beauty in the banal and elevates the texture of everyday life. She captures these moments through complex layers of built and redacted colors and textures. Her works reflect a dynamic interplay of form and movement, as the artist conducts materials influenced by the forces of gravity and entropy.

“Eliza Lu Doyle & Em Gallagher: Movers & Bathers” (August 31 to September 29) — This is a two-person exhibition featuring still photography and video by Doyle and Gallagher. Through collage, photography, and video, the artists delve into themes of queer embodiment and explore poetic movement of bodies on unstable ground. They coined the term “queer entropy” to capture the idea of falling together, falling apart, and coming together again.

Duck Creek’s 2024 Music Series:

This series is co-curated by Kassa Overall, a Grammy-nominated musician, emcee, singer, producer and drummer with bassist and composer Iris Ornig, who brings her unique talent as well as decades of experience playing in some of the best clubs in New York.

Emmanuel Michael Group (Saturday, June 22, 6 p.m.) — This double guitar quartet featuring Emmanuel’s close comrade Tim Watson, is searching for “truth and honesty within this intimate and vast sonic universe.” Born and raised in South Dakota as a first-generation Ugandan and Southern Sudanese, Emmanuel believes that self-identity can only be discovered through reflecting upon one’s surroundings with gratitude, self-reflection, and empathy.

Rachel Therrien (Thursday, July 11, 6 p.m.) — Rachel Therrien is a trumpet and flugelhorn player, composer, and music producer working between New York City and Montreal. She is considered one of the most promising jazz musicians of her generation. Recognized for her personal touch and her many influences of traditional jazz, Afro-Latin, and global music, Rachel has a world-class reputation, is versatile, and an innovator.

Jackson Pollock & Jazz (Thursday, July 25, 6 p.m.) — Sponsored by the Pollock Krasner House and Study Center, this is the first of two concerts focused on the record collection of Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner. Organized in collaboration with The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook, this concert will feature original arrangements inspired by the work of Jackson Pollock by Ray Anderson and Tom Manuel, with Anderson on trombone/vocals, Tommy Campbell, on drums, Steve Salerno on guitar, Sam Dillon on saxophone and Manuel on cornet.

Tomoki Sanders (Thursday, July 18, 6 p.m.) — Child of the late saxophone legend, Pharoah Sanders, multi- instrumentalist, producer & artist Tomoki Sanders will bring a mix of vaporwave, fusion, jazz and hip hop, combined with elements of digitally produced music. Tomoki (they/them) started playing drums and percussion at the age of 4, and graduated from the prestigious Berklee College of Music, studying performance and music production with world-renowned musicians.

Arcoiris Sandoval (Thursday, August 1, 6 p.m.) — Sandoval is a jazz pianist and composer residing in New York City and originally from Tucson, Arizona. In addition to leading the Sonic Asylum Quartet, Sandoval is the co-director of The D.O.M.E. Experience multimedia orchestra along with bassist Mimi Jones. She tours with acclaimed vocalist Allan Harris and occasionally performs with the Mingus Big Band. Her debut Sonic Asylum Trio album titled “First Voyage” won a Global Music Award in 2018.

J. Hoard (Thursday, August 8, 6 p.m.) — J. Hoard interweaves genres to articulate his vivid songwriting, and this eclectic approach has yielded songwriting collaborations on two Grammy-award winning albums. Hoard works closely with artists such as Brasstracks, Endea Owens, Jose James, and the legendary Meshell Ndegeocello. No matter the genre, platform, or language Hoard possesses the essence of the Black church and allure of the Great White Way.

Lee Krasner & Jazz (Thursday, August 15, 6 p.m.) — Sponsored by the Pollock Krasner House and Study Center, this is the second of two concerts focused on the record collection of Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner. Organized in collaboration with The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook, this concert will feature original arrangements inspired by the work of Lee Krasner by Dan Pugach, with vocals by Grammy award winning vocalist Nicole Zuraitis, Pugach on drums, Miki Hayama on piano, John Marshall on saxophone, and Tom Manuel on cornet.

New Jazz Underground (Saturday, September 7, 6 p.m.) —This young trio merges traditional sensibilities in Jazz with the modern influence of swing, hip-hop, house/Afro-beat, and Afro-Cuban music. Millions of listeners were introduced to the group’s undeniably fresh sound through a series of viral videos of the band performing in their living room, which highlighted their exuberant chemistry and effortless musicality.

Art exhibitions in the John Little Barn and the John Little Gallery are open Thursday to Sunday, from 2 to 6 p.m., while outdoor exhibitions on the Duck Creek Farm grounds are open daily from dawn to dusk.

Concerts are subject to weather and may require reservations. Audience members are encouraged to bring a beach chair, a picnic and enjoy the evening. All events are free, but space and parking are limited, so arrive early. Check the website duckcreekarts.org for additional programs and updates. The Arts Center at Duck Creek is located at 127 Squaw Road in the hamlet of Springs in East Hampton.