Impromptu Art Tour

When the grueling traffic of summer isn’t standing in your way, it’s enjoyable to adventure from town to town with ease. It’s also nice to hop around without time pressure that comes along with one of my average summer Saturdays. If you’re ever trying to make it to four events in a two-hour time frame in mid-July, between East Hampton and Southampton, I have it down to a science.

I started my day with at the LongHouse Reserve’s Landscape Awards, which featured a lovely luncheon. Guests donned fascinators and hats worthy of the Kentucky Derby while Martha Stewart kicked off the awards by presenting Charles and Kathleen Marder with the LongHouse Garden Direction award. The luncheon continued with awards presented to Amy Goldman, Lynden Miller, and Thomas Woltz.

We also had the chance to stroll the gardens of LongHouse while viewing the sculptures by Willem de Kooning, Yoko Ono, and more and spectacular gardens, all designed by owner Jack Lenor Larsen.

Next up my friend Christine and I headed to the Pollock-Krasner House in Springs. I grew up down the street and always love going back. A shuttle picks up at Springs School and takes you to the home of Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner, which includes the artist’s studio. The shuttle driver, who happened to have a copy of The Independent on his front seat, asked where we were all from. Most everyone else in the shuttle was from out of town. I proudly said Springs.

The best parts of going to see the Pollock-Krasner house is that you get to put on foam booties and walk through the artist’s studio which includes splatter paint all across the floor, and of course that beautiful Springs view of Accabonac Harbor. The light is special and such an inspiration for so many artists.

I quickly became a Springs tour guide. “This is the General Store and, oh, you’ve never been to the Leiber Collection? We have to go!” The Leiber Collection includes a selection of handbags by the designer Judith Leiber as well as paintings by her husband Gerson Leiber, all set in a magnificent sculpture garden. Like the Pollock-Krasner House, it’s a very special place. Interviewing the Leibers in 2017 is something I’ll never forget.

Following that visit we headed west for SouthamptonFest to meet up with some more friends. It was, after all, the perfect day for an outdoor festival. After enjoying the music at Agawam Park and some bites from Golden Pear, we headed to Tackle Box for happy hour — I do love a good happy hour deal and this one is impressive. Refusing to let summer be over yet, we went all in on the Whispering Angel Rosé. As the sun set we turned to fall mode and stopped at Southampton Publick House for a pumpkin ale.

We ended the night at the Southampton Arts Center’s Silent Disco. Walking into a silent disco is always interesting. You can’t yet hear the music but everyone is singing to different songs, played by three different DJs. Once you have your headphones, you’ve joined the party. There were conga lines and guests dressed like shiny disco balls. The funny thing is you sing along to the music as you would anywhere else and you think you sound great until you hear your Instagram story. Full on a cappella to Toto’s “Africa” is something no one needs to hear from me. I now feel deeply apologetic to my husband who has to listen to me sing at the top of my lungs in the car to and from the city every week. But, for the moment, we were all rock stars.

jessica@indyeastend.com
@hamptondaze