The Art Scene 10.27.11
Focus on Materials
The Southampton Cultural Center’s fall exhibit, which opens today, will turn a spotlight on materials in the work of several artists, whether they have created those materials or repurposed them for their art.
“Material Matters” brings together the sculpture of artists such as James DeMartis, Don Saco, Eric Ernst, Margaret Kerr, James Gemake, and Robert Skinner. Arnold Hoffmann Jr., who is known more for his printmaking, is represented here with two balsa wood constructions he made in the 1960s.
Carol Hunt’s weaving of wool, silk, and feathers has become a recent mode of expression for her, an alternative to her usual modes of painting and printmaking. Gabriele Raacke’s images are made by painting acrylic on glass. Alexander Russo’s early works incorporate strips of canvas, rope, and sand, whereas Roseann Schwab contributes small collages of painted, cut, and torn papers.
A reception for the artists will be held on Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibit is on view through Nov. 20.
Death Be Not Proud
Death and mourning in the mid to late 19th century is the subject of a new exhibit called “In Memory of . . .” at the Bridgehampton Historical Society’s Corwith House. It opens tomorrow with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Black attire is optional.
The show examines how the death of Prince Albert in England in 1861 plunged Queen Victoria and that country into a period of mourning that lasted all of her life. The resulting cult of mourning spread to America.
The exhibit will include materials depicting Victorian mourning customs based on rules that society felt compelled to follow. Widowed women were the focus and were expected to grieve for as long as two and a half years with clothing styles indicating their particular stage of mourning. At home, black crepe on the front door alerted passers-by that the household was in mourning. Mirrors and paintings were often covered as well.
The exhibit will include clothes and accessories and period artifacts. It will remain open through February.
“Hunting and Fishing”
Draws to a Close
The Southampton Historical Museum will mark the close of its “10,000 Years of Hunting and Fishing in Southampton” with a curator’s talk on Saturday at 4 p.m.
David Bunn Martine, who organized the exhibit, will discuss Long Island’s earliest settlers and how they went about their food harvesting, later teaching the English colonists how to survive off the land. Mr. Martine is the director of the Shinnecock Indian Nation Cultural Center and Museum.
The exhibit includes remnants such as arrowheads, more modern tools, and graphics to show how the Europeans and Native Americans worked together to meld their customs to ensure their survival and flourish in a punishing environment.
The exhibit is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Saturday, with a reception following on Saturday with the talk and refreshments.
Ross Teachers Do
The Ross School will present “Art + Media: A Faculty Exhibition” beginning tomorrow with a reception from 3:45 to 5 p.m. at the Ross Gallery on the Upper School campus in East Hampton. The show features works from faculty members in the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools.
Ned Smyth will display photo documentation of his large-scale site installations from around the country. Jennifer Cross, who is the school’s visual arts chairwoman, will show oil paintings that are meditations on loss, memory, and the passage of time. MaryJo Allegra will display two small landscapes that use vivid color. Jon Mulhern will show two energetic, painterly abstractions.
Alexis Martino, the head of media at Ross, will show a portrait as well as a collaborative work with Kerry Sharkey-Miller, who also will have her own work on view. Paintings by Kenneth Kilfara, a figurative mixed-media work by Christopher Engel, and photographs of children at play by Michele Claeys round out the exhibit.