The ninth iteration of “East End Collected,” which continues its tradition of showcasing exceptional artists based in Suffolk County, will return to the Southampton Arts Center on Saturday with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. and continue through Dec. 27.
The series was originally conceived and curated by Paton Miller, a noted artist from Southampton, who was joined last year by Christina Strassfield, the arts center’s executive director, to organize “East End Collected 8.”
“We are delighted to bring together such an exceptional group of artists who all share a connection to Suffolk County,” said Strassfield. “Each time we meet, Paton has some artists I didn’t know about and I have some he didn’t know about. I also found this year was wonderful because there were a lot of artists Paton brought into the mix that I had known for a long time but had never had a chance to include in any show I had done.”
“It’s a real privilege,” said Miller, “and with every show we are always wonderfully surprised at the quality of the work we’re able to tap into. An art historian friend of mine said that if aliens came to Earth to destroy the planet, you could show them a Caravaggio still life and maybe they would reconsider.”
Strassfield also noted with surprise the number of figurative artists in this exhibition. While over the years there has been a 50-50 split, “This time we’ve got a lot of figurative art, and they’re really strong pieces.”
The genesis of the series was the meeting of a group of residents, including then Southampton Mayor Mark Epley, held after the Parrish Art Museum decamped to Water Mill. It was decided that its venerable building should remain an arts center. At a subsequent gathering at the home of a collector, Miller proposed an exhibition featuring artists from the community.
“Over the 40-plus years I’ve lived here, it’s apparent that esoteric shows from who-knows-where, while they are really great and I love them, are not really as well received as shows that reflect this area,” Miller told The Star during a 2017 conversation.
Miller also decided that the works should be on loan from collectors, to reflect their important role in sustaining the local art community. For the inaugural exhibition, which took place in April 2015, 80 percent of the works came from private collections. The following year, the ratio was 50-50. For the third show, in 2017, “I dropped it,” Miller said, “because I realized a lot of artists don’t want to bother their collectors. But I asked them to be sure to invite the collectors to the opening.”
Fast-forward to 2023, when Strassfield took over as the arts center’s executive director. “I am genuinely delighted that ‘East End Collected 7’ is the first exhibition I am here for as the executive director,” she said at the time, “as it is the core of the Southampton Arts Center’s mission of community building through the arts.”
Of working together on last year’s show, Miller said, “Life is much better with Christina on board.”
The selection process involves both curators. “We each write up a list of artists’ names and then we come together and start looking at the work and voting yes or no,” Strassfield said. They make some studio visits, but because both have been involved with the local art scene for so many years, in many cases it isn’t necessary.
This year’s exhibiting artists are Deborah Acquino, Sophia Ader, Henry Baker, Dee Benish, Peter Beston, Walter Bobbie, Rossa Cole, Anahi DeCanio, Lucy Villeneuve, AG Duggan, Dorothy Frankel, Pat Garrity, Lucas Greffenius Scheuer, Harrison Haft, Kara Hoblin, Edward Joseph, Richard Law, Elizabeth Levine, Christa Maiwald, Holly Maran, Jon McAuliffe, John Mellilo, ByeongDoo Moon, Grace Osborne, Oliver Peterson, Robert Singer, Ben Sosne, Janice Stanton, and Katie Whipple.
The arts center will present a series of artist panel discussions and guided tours led by the curators throughout the exhibition. Wall text featuring artists’ statements and brief biographies will provide additional information about their practices.
