The Church is celebrating its fourth birthday with a jam-packed weekend featuring programs devoted to public spaces, resident artists, and controversial poetry, as well as a talk about the representation of the Fool in art history.
Koray Duman, a New York-based architect, and Setha Low, an anthropologist with a home in East Hampton, will be at the Sag Harbor venue Friday at 4:30 p.m. to talk about “Spaces of Generosity: Activating Public Space Through Community and Design.” They will discuss how strategic design can make it easier for people to interact, and also about the resources available for citizens to take over, enjoy, and participate in public spaces.
Mr. Duman is the founder of B-KD, a research-driven architecture and design studio that believes in the power of architecture as a social infrastructure to create a sense of belonging. The firm has designed and executed projects for MoMA PS1, the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York, and the Noguchi Museum, among others.
The author of “Beach Politics” (2025) and “Why Public Space Matters” (2023), Ms. Low is a distinguished professor of environmental psychology, geography, anthropology, and women’s studies, and director of the Public Space Research Group, at the Graduate Center, City University of New York.
Alison Cynamon, a writer, illustrator, and public artist, and Rayos Magos, a multidisciplinary artist, both now in residence at The Church, will open their studios on Saturday from noon to 2.
Ms. Cynamon’s work ranges from the development of storybooks and narrative drawings to the painting and design of murals and installations. Her current work centers on the writing and illustration of children’s books.
Mr. Magos, who draws inspiration from his ethnic identity as a Latinx/Chicano, works across a variety of mediums, investigating symbolism and storytelling within Chicano culture and blending personal narratives with universal themes.
The open studios are free; registration is not necessary.
“I’m With the Banned,” the third iteration of The Power of Poetry, a read-in series featuring a curated selection of poems linked by a common theme, will take place on Saturday afternoon at 2. It will focus on voices that have encountered “resistance and censorship,” among them Shakespeare, Gwendolyn Brooks, Amanda Gorman, Shel Silverstein, Walt Whitman, Oscar Wilde, and many others.
Readers will be assigned a number on arrival and will read in order. Poems are not pre-selected, rehearsed, or memorized, encouraging the reader’s active engagement with the work.
Those interested in reading have been asked to purchase or reserve a ticket first. After checkout there will be a link to the “request to read” form on the confirmation screen. Information about the next steps will follow. More information is available from [email protected].
Tickets are $10, free for members who R.S.V.P.
The exhibition “Figures du Fou (Figures of the Fool)” was on view at the Louvre from October 2024 to Feb. 5. For
“April’s Fool,” set for Sunday at 3 p.m., April Gornik will give an illustrated walk-through of the show, talking about the curators’ intentions and giving her own insights and ideas.
The exhibition explored the meaning of the Fool in a variety of contexts: books, biblical illustrations, sainthood, brothels, at court, on the battlefield, and in positions of poverty and power.
Ms. Gornik will invite comments from the audience during her talk, which will be followed by a more formal question-and-answer session.
Tickets are $10, $5 for members.
