Last weekend, the first installment
of the 69th Annual Guild Hall Members Exhibition opened with a display
of works by artists whose surnames begin with the letters A-L. The
exhibition will run through April 21, with the next installment,
artists M-Z, opening on May 5 and closing on June 2. Long known
as one of the most prominent art venues on the East Coast, Guild
Hall has a history of bringing lesser-known artists to the forefront
of visitors’ minds by illuminating their best works under
the talented direction of their curatorial staff. Many artists “discovered”
by Guild Hall have gone on to receive international acclaim, making
its walls some of the most coveted space for an artist to display
their work. The grand prize of the Guild Hall Members Exhibition
is a solo show at Guild Hall the following year, a prize that has
attracted artists on every level, from the most well-known to weekend
painters, to enter their pieces in hopes of being chosen.
The Guild Hall Members Exhibition also holds the title of being
the oldest non-juried art show on Long Island, making it one of
the East End’s most popular places to take in the best of
what the Hamptons art world has to offer. Because the show is not
juried, all current artist members of Guild Hall are invited to
enter their works for a small fee, with a valid Guild Hall Membership.
Although the artists do not have to be considered professionals
to enter the exhibition, the judge of this year’s competition,
Faye Hirsch, has been selected from the most discriminating of art
publications, giving prizewinners a real sense of how their art
stacks up against the rest of the art world. As the Senior Editor
of Art in America magazine, Ms. Hirsch has been separating good
art from revolutionary art throughout her career and her expertise
will surely add even more prestige to the honor of winning the solo
exhibition.
The winners of the first installment were announced during the opening
reception on March 24, giving a handful of artists the recognition
they deserve. Top Honors were awarded to Priscilla Heine, a frequent
exhibitor at the gallery and museum shows in the Hamptons. Her works
have varied from a paint-splashed wine bottle for the Sag Harbor
Whaling Museum’s “Art of Wine” auction to diaphanous
abstract works. Ms. Heine will receive a solo exhibition at Guild
Hall as her prize. Grant Haffner’s vivacious, colorful, acrylic
landscape painting won the Catherine & The Hios Landscape Award
and a $250 cash prize. Although many artists in the Hamptons highlight
the grace of the Long Island landscape, Haffner’s young eye
catches the boldness of the black roads cutting through neon green
summer fields framed by sinewy black telephone lines, giving the
traditional Hamptons landscape a new vitality and sense of urgency.
The more traditional depictions of the Hamptons were not overlooked,
however, and the award for Best Representational work was given
to none other than Plein Air painter extraordinaire Susan D’Alessio.
D’Alessio’s landscapes are subtly hewn in naturalistic
colors and capture the movement of the dune grasses and shallow
creeks that wind through so many East End landscapes. Elegant art
writer and curator Janet Goleas, received the award for Best Mixed
Media piece. John Philip Capello, a frequent Guild Hall exhibitor
known for his fanciful depictions of mythical creatures roughly
hewn in stone, received the award for Best Scultpure. Best photograph
was awarded to Joy Goldkind, famous for her bromoil prints of haunting
subjects that recall dim images plucked from Surrealist films. Other
awards went to Annette Heller for Best Abstract Work and Steven
Filler for Best Work on Paper. A.G. Duggan, Rosalyn Kane, Leonard
Green, Joyce Kubat, Josef Head and Stephanie Brody Lederman all
received honorable mentions.
Now that the winners have been announced, it is important that the
community turn to support these artists who are our neighbors, friends
and a wealth of talent cultivated right in our collective backyard.
Because there are only so many honors to give, most of the great
artists in the show were not mentioned here and the only way to
appreciate their work and talent is to view their artwork in person
at Guild Hall. By April 21, all of these works will be taken down
to make room for the next great exhibit – we will never have
another chance to see works by all of these great artists side by
side. On May 5, from 4 to 6 p.m., the next batch of winners will
be announced and one more artist will be awarded the great honor
of their own solo exhibition at Guild Hall. The moment that these
artists have all been waiting for is not to be missed. Be sure to
be on hand when the winners are announced, to soak up the art and
the excitement of those artists who have worked so hard to have
their work displayed on the hallowed walls of the East End’s
own Guild Hall.
– Sabrina C. Mashburn
The first installment of the 69th Annual Guild Hall Member’s
Exhibition, with work by artists whose last names begin with the
letters A-L, will be on view until April 21. The second installment,
with works by artists whose last names begin with the letters M-Z,
will be on view from May 5 until June 2, with an opening reception
on May 5 from 4-6 p.m. Guild Hall is located at 158 Main Street
in East Hampton. Guild Hall is open from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. from
Thursday through Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For
more information, please call (631) 324-0806, email info@guildhall.org
or visit www.guildhall.org.
