The Victor D’Amico Institute Of Art To Open With Tribute To Its Founders

The Victor D’Amico Institute of Art’s 2018 premiere will take place on Saturday, May 19. The opening day festivities will include a variety of happenings that pay tribute to founders Mabel and Victor D’Amico.

“This year our invitation to the public is to ‘take a look… take a class,'” shared Chris Kohan, President of The Victor D’Amico Institute of Art. “Saturday is a special opportunity to visit both The Art Barge and The D’Amico Studio and Archive in one afternoon of exhibitions and tours at each location.”

In addition to the debut of two new exhibitions, the afternoon will also include guided explorations and activities at The Art Barge and The D’Amico Studio and Archive.

Promised Land Remembered, which was co-organized with Rachel Gruzen, showcases paintings by Mabel D’Amico that are accompanied by photographs, documents, and anecdotes that relate to the former fishing port. The exhibition will be on view in the Barge Gallery on The Art Barge through Saturday, June 23.

When the D’Amicos landed in Amagansett in the late1930s, Menhadens (also known as bunker or pogy) were still a widely utilized source for oil and fertilizer, with processing plants at Promised Land, Hicks Island, and Walking Dunes. The couple stayed at a cozy fishing shack in the area, eventually moving to a home closeby at Lazy Point. That stay – the buildings, boats, docks, and workers at Promised Land – became the inspiration for a brief series of gouaches on paper Mabel painted during the mid-20th century.

The other exhibition, Sea, Sky, and Sculpture: An Integration of Art, Architecture, and Landscape, encompasses sculpture by Phyllis Hammond, Marcie Honerkamp, Ruby Jackson, Jim Posner, Michael Rosch, Arden Scott, Claire Watson, and Marianne Weil. The open-air exhibition on the grounds of the Mabel and Victor D’Amico Studio and Archive can be seen through Saturday, September 22.

“Above all, at these two sites for creating and living creatively, we celebrate our founders, Mabel and Victor D’Amico, who lived by the belief so wonderfully stated by Victor, that ‘the arts are a humanizing force… and they make each child, woman, and man the richer for having taken part in them,'” Esperanza Leon, Administrative Coordinator, reflected.

The opening day events will be held from 2 to 6 p.m.

“People can learn about summer art classes, register for them, and join our new Friendship,” Kohan added. “In the Barge studio they will get a watercolor demonstration and everyone will have the chance to create a collage.”

Classes at The Art Barge commence on Monday, June 4.

The Studio and Archive is located at 128 Shore Road in Amagansett. The Art Barge is located at 110 Napeague Meadow Road in Amagansett. For more information, visit theartbarge.org.