For a few weeks now, we have been thinking about what ails some of our beloved local institutions. There seemed to be a through-thread stitching together various news stories that have broken lately — controversies at various nonprofit organizations — but it took us a while to put a finger on it. This weekend, as conversation on social media mounted around goings-on at Guild Hall and LongHouse Reserve, the words crystallized in our mind, illuminating what you might call a trend: Those words are “community” and “disconnection.”
Time passes. Prestige, wealth, and celebrity hold ever more sway, especially here in “the Hamptons.” The cast of characters changes inevitably at storied institutions. And, sometimes, the decision makers — while working with the highest of intentions and all good will — inadvertently lose sight of the traditions and connections that had been the glue binding it all together.
LongHouse Reserve’s sudden firing of its beloved longtime director, Matko Tomicic, and Guild Hall’s plan for a massive overhaul seem indicative of what might be seen as a creeping societal forgetfulness. This once was a small town, a tightly bound community, but the old ties have been stretched beyond the snapping point. Those residents with institutional memory grow few.
At Guild Hall, a spectacular ultramodern replacement for the charming vintage interior of the John Drew Theater — which at huge expense had its technical systems modernized under the guidance of Robert A.M. Stern Architects as recently as 2009 — has drawn criticism from those who want it preserved, as well as those who simply cherish fond memories of the community gathering space it used to be. At LongHouse, many donors and patrons, as well as artists who have displayed works in the gardens, were aghast when Mr. Tomicic was ousted amid allegations of highhanded dealings by the board of directors. Similarly, the Bay Street Theater’s board of directors’ vision for a supersize new home near the Sag Harbor waterfront struck many as over the top and out of touch.
Guild Hall, LongHouse, and Bay Street Theater are treasured cultural institutions. Volunteers and staff who work hard to keep them alive and financially flush are to be thanked and lauded. We all want them to thrive. But they are all, today, facing a resounding question from the public: Why? The “why” — the motivation behind these arts institutions’ radical moves — has not been particularly well articulated, leaving many community members to wonder if the plans are about institutional aggrandizement for aggrandizement’s sake alone.
How do the ambitions of LongHouse’s board serve the broader population, or expand public access to the glory of its gardens? How would another total revamping of Guild Hall serve the purpose set out when it was founded during the Depression by a convocation of local residents — that purpose being to serve as an egalitarian gathering place for the use of all townspeople, year-rounders and summer folk, rich and poor alike? These are the questions that need to be answered.
Defenders of these institutions’ bold moves counter that grander settings are what’s required today to attract bigger “names,” and that critics are simply stuck in the past. But community is not “past” — and the people who make up a community matter.
What is art for, after all? Without the people, the buildings are empty vessels. What is required for a healthy future is community participation, a faithful audience engaged over the long haul. Invest in community — invest in access, more than in world-class facilities and attracting world-famous artists, and these treasured spaces will bloom brightest.