Local Art Instructors Providing Insight During Autumn Critique

The Victor D’Amico Institute of Art is once again offering the unique chance for local artists to have their works evaluated by a duo of professional artists and VDIA/The Art Barge Instructors. On Saturday, September 29 and Sunday, September 30, artists may bring their work to The Mabel and Victor D’Amico Studio and Archive in Lazy Point, Amagansett where the Institute of Art will host a two-day Autumn Critique.

“This series of critiques at the D’Amico Studio and Archive serves as a complement to and continuation of our program in the off-season,” Esperanza Leon, Administrative Coordinator, The Victor D’Amico Institute of Art / The Art Barge, shared. “We are very fortunate to count on the talent and expertise of professional artists who teach through the summer at the Barge and can now offer practical and philosophical insight to artists wishing to receive guidance with regard to their artwork.”

Open to artists ages 16 to 106, participants may highlight two to four pieces, which will be displayed on an easel or 24” table top. Featured mediums may include paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, prints, digital artwork, and more.

During the Autumn Critique, attendees will gain insight from professional artists and VDIA/The Art Barge Instructors, George Negroponte and Sue Ferguson Gussow.

Negroponte, an abstract artist who studied art at Yale University, will speak with artists on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. The East Hampton-based artist and instructor’s work has been featured in nearly 20 solo shows and has also been showcased at several prestigious galleries and museums, including The Museum of Modern Art and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. For over two decades, Negroponte taught at The Studio School, Parsons School of Design, The School of Visual Arts and Princeton University, and also served as Co-Chairman of The Board of The Drawing Center from 1997-2002.

Ferguson Gussow, a figurative painter that dabbles in a variety of drawing and painting media, will assess works on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Amagansett and New York City-based artist graduated from Columbia University and also earned a Masters of Fine Art from Tulane University. Her works have been exhibited at several notable museums, including the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum of the Smithsonian, the Dallas Museum of Fine Art, the Minnesota Museum of Art, the Seattle Art Museum, the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Free Library, the Frick Collection Archive, and Dillard University. She taught at The Cooper Union, her alma mater, and has also lectured at or served as a visiting critic at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Cornell, Bennington, NYU, Maryland Art Institute, Parsons, Tulane, Alfred University, and international institutions.

In addition to the assessment, attendees will also be able to explore the D’Amico Studio and Archive house and grounds, the former home of Mabel and Victor D’Amico.

There is no fee to participate in the Autumn Critique, but advance registration is required. To reserve a spot, visit theartbarge.org, email programs@theartbarge.org, or call 631-267-3172.