Guild Hall – An Essential Part of the East Hampton Community

Guild Hall recently announced their final two exhibitions of 2021, including 90 Years: Selections from the Permanent Collection, in the Moran and Woodhouse galleries and a selection of works by the winner of the 2018 Artist Members Exhibition, Jeff Muhs: The Uncanny Valley, in the Spiga Gallery. Galleries are open Friday to Sunday, 12-5 pm and admission is free, courtesy of Dime Community Bank and Landscape Details.

Museum Director and Chief Curator Christina Mossaides Strassfield has curated 90 Years: Selections from the Permanent Collection in celebration of Guild Hall’s 90th anniversary. “We are thrilled to be able to showcase 90 works from our permanent collection of nearly 2,500 works,” says Strassfield. “Guild Hall’s Permanent Collection is a testament to the vibrant art community that continues to exist to this day.”

After a postponement due to the pandemic, Jeff Muhs: The Uncanny Valley opened on October 30, in tandem with the Permanent Collection exhibition. Both exhibitions run until January 2, 2022.

In addition to the two exhibitions, guests can also see the culmination of a project by Guild Hall’s Community Artist-in-Residence, Scott Bluedorn, in the Education Corridor. The Neo-Tile Club: Community Exhibition focuses on the history, practice, and revitalization of The Tile Club, founded in 1872. Participants attended workshops over the summer where they painted their own tiles, donating at least one to this collaborative installation now on view.

Established in 1931, Guild Hall is one of the first multidisciplinary arts centers in the country to combine a museum, theater and education space under one roof. Intended to be a gathering place for the East Hampton community where an appreciation for the arts would encourage greater civic participation, Guild Hall continues to fulfill that mission. For nearly 90 years, Guild Hall has provided a place for the public to see art installations, enjoy concerts, plays and films, and for artists, writers and musicians to engage with their audiences. Since its opening, Guild Hall has been an integral part of East Hampton life.

Today Guild Hall has a permanent collection of 2,400 works of art and is especially known for exhibiting the work of Abstract Expressionists including Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner and Willem deKooning, who lived here. In addition to its 3 galleries devoted to visual art, the 360-seat John Drew Theater is the setting for musical performances, plays and readings, live streams from  The Metropolitan Opera, dance, and more.

In celebration of their 90th anniversary, Guild Hall has published a new book Guild Hall for All by Andrea Grover and Helen Harrison. The book is available on Guild Hall’s website, and in person at their Coffee Bar and other local shops.

Currently, Guild Hall is open Friday-Sunday from 12 noon to 5 pm. Please visit their website for Covid protocols.

Current programs and events:

• 90 Years: Selections from the Permanent Collection – until January 2, 2022
• Jeff Muhs: The Uncanny Valley – art exhibition – until January 2, 2022
• Reawakenings On Demand – until January 2, 2022
• Neo-Tile Club: Community Exhibition – 2021 Guild Hall Community Artist-in-Residence, Scott Bluedorn – until January 2, 2022
• 90 Years: Selections from the Permanent Collection – until January 2, 2020

Upcoming:

• Behind the Screen with Bel Canto Boot Camp: Setting Orpheus and Eurydice (opera) (December 4 at 11am)
• The Met Live in HD – Eurydice (December 4 at 12:55 pm)
• Gallery Tour of Permanent Collection with Christina Mossaides Strassfield, Museum Director/Chief Curator (December 5 at 3pm)
• In Conversation: Jeff Muhs and Christina Mossaides Strassfield (December 11 at 3pm)

For more info, visit www.guildhall.org