The Watermill Center’s Resident Artist Spotlight To Highlight Zach Eugene Salinger-Simonson

“Since I first started working with Robert Wilson in 2008 (when I was sixteen), he has influenced how I hear and see,” noted Zach Eugene Salinger-Simonson, who is The Watermill Center’s first “designer” in residence.

The industrial designer, who was born in Manhattan and raised in Southampton, will use his time at The Watermill Center to fine-tune his design intent by critically interpreting the ring, collar, necklace and bracelet. He has developed a neo-traditionalist collection of work, and while his main focus is lighting, he also dabbles in jewelry and furniture. To assist Salinger-Simonson further comprehend the relationship between jewelry and its owner, he will pen a narrative from the perspective of the object.

Salinger-Simonson will take part in an Open Studio at The Watermill Center on Saturday, December 3rd at 2 p.m.

“This residency is enabling me to develop my first jewelry collection and is a testament to Robert Wilson’s guiding vision that continues to shape every facet of my life,” he explained. “Over the past few weeks I’ve been able to strengthen the relationship between the material and formal language that exists in the jewelry collection.”

His residency began on Wednesday, November 16th and will come to a close on Wednesday, December 14th.

Salinger-Simonson received his B.F.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), and worked with Mannequin Designer Ralph Pucci for his retrospective at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) after graduating. He has also worked with numerous notable performers, writers, artists, and designers including Ken Smart, Robert Wilson, Christian Wassman, Adrian Madlener, Jakob Oredsson, Michael Evert and Billy Cotton. Salinger-Simonson’s pieces have been featured during The Watermill Center Summer Benefit & Auction and exhibited in the Sol Koffler Graduate Student Gallery.

Admission to the Open Studio is free, but reservations are required.

The Watermill Center is located at 39 Water Mill Towd Road in Water Mill. For more information, call 631-726-4628 or visit www.watermillcenter.org