A Pop-Up With a Difference
Tumbleweed Tuesday might be a thing of the past, but empty storefronts still proliferate in East Hampton Village during the off-season. This winter, however, the windows of at least one high-end Main Street clothing purveyor, Malia Mills, will not be papered over. The company has decided to make its empty space available to artists for a series of exhibitions, the first of which will open on Saturday with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. It will feature the work of the East End artists Bastienne Schmidt, Almond Zigmund, Margaret Garrett, and Philippe Cheng.
On a recent afternoon in the whitewashed space, with a few artworks leaning against the walls, Mr. Cheng said that “Bastienne and I are friends with Carol and Malia Mills, who have 10 shops around the country, including one in Southampton and one in East Hampton. Carol said to us, ‘Our shop in East Hampton is dormant for six months. Maybe you and some of your artist friends would like to use it.’ ” Having managed a retail shop in New York City a number of years ago, Mr. Cheng was at first reluctant to undertake the responsibility of running even a temporary gallery. As he thought about it, however, he realized that it might work if it loosely followed the idea of a cooperative, with artists organizing shows, hanging the work, and being in the gallery — i.e., with no support or administrative staff.
As of now, Coco Myers, an art consultant whose online gallery, folioeast.com, showcases the work of some 25 artists, will put together two exhibitions during February. Other slots in January, March, and April will be announced. Mr. Cheng mentioned that one of Guild Hall’s upcoming artists in residence might show during the last two weeks of April.
“We are living in such challenging times,” he said. “We’re all grasping for something with meaning, so we decided we would give a portion of sales to four charities: Project Most, Sprouts in Bridgehampton, Jeff’s Kitchen at Hayground School, and Perfect Earth.” Edwina von Gal, the founder of Perfect Earth, hopes to give a talk at the space, and other artists will be invited to speak or perform. “If we can show 40 artists and help four charities in the next four months, it would be a nice kind of uplift,” he said.
Malia Mills’s first show will run through Dec. 31. Among the artists who will show work later this winter are Roisin Bateman, Carolyn Conrad, Mary Ellen Bartley, Janet Jennings, Denise Gale, Christine Matthai, Jane Martin, Francine Fletcher, Mark Weber, Janice Stanton, Donna Greene, Saskia Friedrich, and Jeremy Grosvenor.
Mr. Cheng hopes this project can be a model for other businesses that pay rent for spaces that are empty half the year. “Imagine if there were three or four or five shops willing to do this. It doesn’t cost anything to hang some artwork. Carol and Malia have a great spirit. I’m very grateful to them for their vision and willingness to see what’s possible. I think it’s an interesting adventure for the artists, too.”