The Art Scene: 01.30.14

Busy Day at Watermill

    The Watermill Center has scheduled a full afternoon of activities Saturday, including an exhibition of new work by Jose Carlos Casado at 3 and a dance-theater work-in-progress by Jack Ferver at 4. Both artists are currently in residence at the center.

    Mr. Casado’s “Sacrifice” is a series of sculptures, videos, drawings, installations, and performance, with a large-scale sculpture as the centerpiece.  Titled “Sacrifice.v02,” the sculpture is said to be inspired by violent political events and the body in motion, created with 3-D technologies. Among its sources are Rembrandt’s “Carcass of Beef” and Francis Bacon’s “Three Studies for a Crucifixion.”

    In “Chambre,” Mr. Ferver, a choreographer, writer, and performer, and Marc Swanson, a visual artist, collaborate to create an original work that is both dance-theater performance and art installation. Inspired by Jean Genet’s play “The Maids,” the work explores otherness, societal notions of difference, and the class divide.

    A formal tour of the center’s building, grounds, and collection will be offered at 2 p.m. A moderated talk and reception with the artists will follow the presentation of “Chambre.” Saturday’s events are free, but reservations are required and may be secured at watermillcenter.org.

“Africa to Abstract”

    “From Africa to Abstract: Journey of a People Through Art and Image,” a new exhibition celebrating Black History Month, is on view at the Southampton Cultural Center through March 4. A reception will take place Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m.

    Curated by Tina Andrews, the show includes work by Brent Bailer, Rosa Hanna Scott, Jacquelyn Flowers, Dianne Smith, Danny Simmons, and Ms. Andrews. Abstract and representational painting, sculpture, pastels, and mixed media represent the African-American experience in the United States. The artists hail from Washington, D.C., Harlem, Brooklyn, and East Hampton.

East End Artists in Chelsea

    The Lyons Wier Gallery in Manhattan is presenting “Seeking Engagement NSA (No Strings Attached),” an exhibition curated by Beth McNeill that features eight East End artists, from next Thursday through Feb. 22. An artists’ reception will be held next Thursday evening from 6 to 9.

    Included in the show are Jack Ceglic, Tom Dash, Tapp Francke, Julia Greffenius, Jeff Muhs, Nika Nesgoda, Darius Yektai, and Gavin Zeigler. Ms. McNeill, an independent curator and the proprietor of McNeill Art Group in Southampton, is interested in how art engages an audience. To that end, she has invited visitors to the exhibition to leave a response to the works, which will be shared on social media.

Competition at Crazy Monkey

    The Crazy Monkey Gallery in Amagansett is pitting its artist members against one another in its ninth annual art competition, and the public has been invited to pick the winners. Participating artists in the show, which will open on Saturday with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m., are Andrea McCafferty, Daniel Schoenheimer, Barbara Bilotta, June Kaplan, Jim Hayden, Jana Hayden, Bob Tucker, Ellyn Tucker, Mark E. Zimmerman, Lance Corey, Beth O’Donnell, Melissa Hin, Bobbie Brown, Beth Barry, Dianne Marxe, Anna Franklin, and Sheila Rotner.

    Categories for the competition, which will run through Feb. 23, are best in show, most original, and most thought-provoking. Winners will be announced on March 1 during the opening reception for the gallery’s next exhibition. The artist judged best in show will have a feature show at the gallery.

Walter Bernard in New York

    The Atlantic Gallery in New York City will host an exhibition of recent works in watercolor and oil by Walter Bernard and Matthew Levine from Wednesday through Feb. 8. Mr. Bernard, a longtime East End resident, has designed and art-directed many notable publications, including New York magazine, Time, The Atlantic Monthly, and Fortune, to name but a few.

    The Walter Bernard Consultancy is a group of colleagues, including Milton Glaser, Mirko Ilic, Tom Bentkowski, and Mr. Bernard, who, working both together and separately, have designed more than 100 magazines, books, and newspapers.

    In addition to his design work, Mr. Bernard is a painter. He studied with David Levine and Aaron Shickler and still attends a weekly painting class started in 1954 by those two artists. He has been a participant in the annual Artists and Writers Softball Game in East Hampton for 40 years and has designed the posters for the popular fund-raiser for more than a decade.

    Mr. Levine, the son of the late David Levine, is a painter of figures and landscapes who lives in Westport, Conn. Receptions for the artists will take place on Wednesday from 5 to 9 p.m. and on Feb. 8 from 2 to 5 p.m.

Almond Zigmund Installation

    Almond Zigmund, an artist who divides her time between East Hampton and Brooklyn, is creating a new, site-specific installation at the Children’s Museum of the Arts in Manhattan. Commissioned by the museum as part of its new Bridge Projects series, Ms. Zigmund’s installation, “Plane Site,” will be on view from Tuesday through June 1.

    A reception will be held on Tuesday evening from 6:30 to 8.