Longest Running Long Island Artists Members Exhibition Set To Debut

For the past 78 years, Guild Hall in East Hampton has encouraged artists from the area to submit their original, innovative works to the oldest non-juried museum exhibition held on Long Island. On Saturday, April 23rd, Guild Hall will debut this year’s show and award the exhibit’s Top Honor, who will receive the esteemed privilege of a solo show in Guild Hall’s Spiga Gallery.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for artists to exhibit their work in this long standing exhibition which is viewed as kicking off the art season in the Hamptons,” explained Christina Strassfield. “Every artist in our community is invited to join Guild Hall and participate with the potential of being awarded a solo exhibition.”

The 2016 collection of submissions was evaluated by guest awards judge JiaJia Fei, who recently started as the newly created position of “Director of Digital” at The Jewish Museum. Fei will manage the digital strategy of the museum’s curatorial and education programming on the museum’s website, blog, apps, e-mail, and social media. Previously, she served as Associate Director, Digital Marketing at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, where Fei helped broaden the public’s art awareness through award-winning digital initiatives. She received her BA in History of Art from Bryn Mawr College, and has lead discussions on social media and digital marketing at museum conferences and universities globally, including Museums & the Web, CultureGeek, College Art Association, Sotheby’s Art Institute, New York University, University of Oregon, Fundación Proa, TEDx Martha’s Vineyard, and MIT Media Lab.

Along with Top Honor, Guild Hall will also celebrate Best Abstract, Best Mixed Media, Best Representational, Best Work on Paper, Best Photograph, Best Sculpture, $250 Catherine and Theo Hios Landscape Award, Best New Member, which is awarded to an artist that has never had work featured in the exhibition or has not entered in the past five years, as well as numerous Honorable Mentions.

Each year, over 450 artists are spotlighted during the Members Exhibition, one of the few remaining non-juried exhibitions. Stephanie deTroy Miller, Guild Hall’s Registrar/Curatorial Assistant/Lewis B. Cullman Associate for Museum Education, coordinates the show, and Christina Mossaides Strassfield, Director/Chief Curator of Guild Hall Museum, provides the installation design.

The 78th Guild Hall Artists Members Exhibition is on view Saturday, April 23rd through Saturday, June 4th. An opening reception will take place on Saturday, April 23rd from 4 to 6 p.m. Admission to the exhibit and opening is complimentary thanks to funding by Suffolk County National Bank and Donald and Barbara Zucker.

Guild Hall is located at 158 Main Street in East Hampton. For more information, call 631-324-0806 or visit www.guildhall.org.