Parrish Art Museum To Reopen Its Galleries On August 7

A few weeks ago, the Parrish Art Museum began welcoming a limited number of visitors back at the Water Mill-based museum to enjoy the beloved Friday Night Jazz on the Terrace series. The weekend of Friday, August 7 will mark a busy one for the Parrish – as not only will it re-open its galleries for the first time since mid-March, but flute and sax player Julie Bluestone and her ensemble will headline Jazz on the Terrace, and later on in the evening, the Parrish Art Museum will present a 50-minute loop of five videos by 2020-2021 Platform artist Tomashi Jackson.

“We are all looking forward to our reopening on August 7 and welcoming visitors once again to enjoy the Parrish galleries,” said Alicia G. Longwell, Ph.D., Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Chief Curator, Art and Education.

The Parrish will highlight a trio of artists for the re-opening. “The three special exhibitions will feature new perspectives on Parrish collection artists Fairfield Porter, Jackie Black, and Lucien Smith,” Longwell noted. On view will be the premiere institutional exhibition for Montauk-based artist Lucien Smith (American, b. 1989) – encompassing ten large-scale paintings from his 2013 Southampton Suite; Last Meal (Series), 2001-2003; 24 photographs by Shelter Island-based artist Jackie Black (American, b. 1958) – who restaged the last meals requested by death row inmates; and HOUSEBOUND: Fairfield Porter and his Circle of Poets and Painters, showcasing pieces by Porter, poet Anne Channing Porter, and the creative forces that visited them throughout the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s in Southampton.

Bluestone, who has showcased her talents at The Plaza, Rainbow Room, Birdland, Sardi’s, Tavern on the Green, Copacabana, and many other New York venues, will take the stage at the Museum’s covered terrace at 6:00 p.m. Jazz on the Terrace attendees should bring their own chairs and must purchase a ticket in advance.

“I’m delighted that the Parrish is able to continue to offer safe and high quality outdoor music on our Terrace with the wonderful Julie Bluestone and her ensemble,” said Corinne Erni, Senior Curator of ArtsReach and Special Projects.

From 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., five videos by Jackson will be continuously projected onto the south façade of the Parrish’s building. Projection: The High Yellow Pavilion for Renisha McBride and Other Works by Tomashi Jackson is a drive-by experience that is visible from Montauk Highway, which features video collages derived from The Subliminal is Now, a visual representation of Jackson’s exploration into the history of school desegregation in the United States, as well as Interstate Love Song, which delves into voting referenda in Atlanta and the surrounding area and a lack of accessibility to transportation in certain neighborhoods.

“I am thrilled to work with Tomashi to mark her presence at the Museum this summer, during this interim when her exhibition Parrish Platform: Tomashi Jackson — The Land Claim, scheduled to open this July, had to be postponed to Summer 2021,” noted Erni.

“While the circumstances surrounding this outdoor screening program for the Parrish Art Museum were unanticipated, the method viewing this series returns the research and reflection for these works back to the physical realm of public space,” said Jackson.

Later on in the month, teaching artist Linda Capello’s popular Life Drawing classes will resume in person. Capello will lead a series of six sessions held on Mondays from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The workshops will take place August 17 through September 28.

“We’re delighted to be able to reintroduce classes for adults at the Museum and to begin with Linda Capello’s Life Drawing,” stated Cara Conklin-Wingfield, Parrish Education Director. “Attendance will be limited, resulting in a more intimate setting for students to practice and improve their skills.”

Open to all skill levels, participants may attend the entire series, or just specific dates.

The Parrish Art Museum galleries will be open Friday through Monday, in 90-minute increments, starting at 11:00 a.m. Tickets must be purchased online, in advance. Museum visitors over 2-years-old must wear a mask and maintain physical distancing of 6 feet from other parties.

Parrish Art Museum is located at 279 Montauk Highway in Water Mill. For more information, visit parrishart.org.