"Hand Made: Guitars According to G.E. Smith & The American Artists' Hand Archive" brings together two unique but cohesive collections: a group of 16 rare and classic guitars and a collection of 31 bronze cast sculptures depicting the hands of visual artists. The exhibition opens Thursday evening at The Church in Sag Harbor with a reception from 6 to 8, and will continue through Dec. 22.
Mr. Smith has selected acoustic and electric guitars dating from 1810 to 1992, most of them from his own collection, providing insight into what he values in the instruments.
The bronze hands are from the American Artists' Hand Archive, an ongoing series by Vanessa Hoheb and Thomas Donahue. It includes the hands of Jasper Johns, Maya Lin, Martin Puryear, Kiki Smith, and many others, as well of those of the East End artists Strong-Cuevas, Chuck Close, Mary Frank, Eric Fischl, April Gornik, and Bryan Hunt.
Mr. Smith, Ms. Hoheb, and Mr. Donahue have worked with Sara Cochran, the venue's chief curator, to install the objects in an integrated exhibition on the building's mezzanine level.
"This is an important exhibition for The Church given our belief that creativity is something that is open to everyone," said Ms. Cochran. "It provides a unique opportunity for our visitors to look through the eyes of G.E. Smith and study the hands of many well-known artists -- integral tools of their remarkable careers."
The exhibition's public programs include an intimate concert by Mr. Smith and Jorma Kaukonen, and an appearance by Ms. Hoheb and Mr. Donahue, during which the public will be able to handle the hands, followed by a live public hand-casting with a celebrated artist of the couple's choosing.
Mr. Smith's career has included six years as lead guitarist for Hall & Oates, 10 years as the "Saturday Night Live" bandleader and co-musical director, tours with Bob Dylan and Roger Waters, and musical direction of Mr. Dylan's "30th Anniversary Concert Celebration" at Madison Square Garden in 1992. He lives in Amagansett with his wife, the singer-songwriter Taylor Barton.
The American Artists' Hand Archive was established to create an archive of bronze casts of artists' hands with the intent of exhibiting them in public. Ms. Hoheb, its founder and director, has worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and led the team that restored the skin of the Statue of Liberty, a very thin layer of copper.
Mr. Donahue, the archive's artistic director, specializes in sculpture, historic preservation, and architectural design. He has researched and restored important historic interiors and worked as an artist designing for Tiffany & Co.
