The Church in Sag Harbor will open another weekend of eclectic programming Friday at 6 p.m. when Cas Holman, the author of “Playful: How Play Shifts Our Thinking, Inspires Connection, and Sparks Creativity,” and Liz Collins, a groundbreaking textile artist whose work often reflects notions of play, get together for a conversation.
Drawing on psychology, history, art, and design, “Playful” makes a case for the necessity of play in the lives of adults, and its essential importance to our mental health, creativity, and problem-solving skills. A playful mind-set, according to Ms. Holman, can help people overcome fear of failure, embrace new ways of thinking, and connect with each other.
“We desperately need a more playful world, and Cas Holman knows how to build it,” said Adam Grant, the author of “Hidden Potential” and “Think Again.” “This book is a designer’s delight — it’s full of inspiring ideas for parents, teachers, and anyone who’s curious or fun-loving.”
A former professor of industrial design at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, R.I., Ms. Holman is the founder of the toy company Heroes Will Rise. Traveling widely, she has led workshops and seminars with teams at Google, Nike, LEGO Foundation, Disney Imagineering, and art museums worldwide. “Playful,” written with Lydia Denworth, was published in October by Avery, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Ms. Collins, who was selected last year as the first artist-in-residence at East Hampton’s LongHouse Reserve, is known for her bold abstract patterns, inventive use of materials, and radical experiments with fiber. “Motherlode,” a midcareer retrospective of her work that is on view at the RISD Museum through Jan. 11, brings together large-scale sculptural work, fashion, needlework, drawings, performance documentation, and ephemera.
Tickets to tomorrow’s program are $25, $20 for members.
On Sunday at noon, the Sag Harbor cultural center’s Insight Sunday series will feature Margaret Garrett, a former dancer turned visual artist. She will discuss her inspirations and her process in the creation of “Canon,” a video that is representative of her movement-based work. It can be seen as part of “Here and There: The First Churchennial,” the venue’s current exhibition, through Dec. 29.
The artist has said she began making videos as a way to find shapes for her paintings, an evolution that led to the development of a new visual language — video collages that explore movement, shape, and the unfolding of patterns.
Ms. Garrett grew up training to be a dancer and joined a professional ballet company at the age of 16. She discovered painting in her early 20s, finding the movement of line and color akin to dance, and switched her focus to visual art.
She has exhibited in New York City at Planthouse, Danese/Corey Gallery, the FLAG Art Foundation, and the Birnam Wood Gallery. She recently completed “Whispers at Dusk,” a 40-foot-long glass mural commissioned by NYU Langone Art Program and Collection for its new hospital in Garden City. The work spans eight nonreflective glass panels, printed with multiple layers of digital UV print and combined with glass etching done by hand. The finished product reflects the brushstrokes and textures of the original painting.
Tickets are $10, free for members who R.S.V.P.
A drawing meetup with Jackie Hoving and Norm Paris, artists, art professors, and Church resident alumni, will happen on Sunday from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
Participants in the communal drawing salon can take a sketchbook, graphite or colored pencils, and/or pens in order to draw onlookers, their surroundings, or anything else that captures the eye. The event will welcome all skill levels; The Church calls it a casual drawing session, not a class.
Tables and chairs will be provided, but participants can also find space within the exhibition for a solo drawing experience. Some graphite pencils and 8-by-11-inch paper will be provided; however, all in attendance have been encouraged to take their own supplies. (Charcoal, paints, and markers are not permitted in these sessions.)
Mr. Paris, a professor at the Rhode Island School of Design, and Ms. Hoving, a professor at Pratt Institute, met as students in Sam Messer’s Yale Norfolk Summer School of Art program.
Tickets are $5, free for members who R.S.V.P.
