INTERVIEW: Edwina Lucas And Kate Gimbel Goldman On The 2021 Art Apart

Last summer, Idoline Duke created Art Apart, an uncurated, roadside exhibition across East Hampton, as a way to both let aspiring and established artists show their works, and to also get folks safely out of their homes to see some art during the pandemic. In an interview with Hamptons.com, Edwina Lucas and Kate Gimbel Goldman, who are organizing the 2021 iteration, expressed their ideas about year two of the innovative event, which will take place on Saturday, June 19. The roadside viewing factor makes Art Apart unique. There are no age limits, all artists are welcome to join.

Lucas explained the genesis of Art Apart when she noted, “Basically what happened was obviously last year the pandemic was happening and a lot of artist life remained the same because we tend to paint in isolation, but a lot of other people started to do their hobbies that became ways to cope with stress. Idoline Duke, who is an artist on the East End, came up with the idea to do a drive-by art show to showcase the work that people created during the pandemic.

She continued, “Last year’s Art Apart was a great success. Lots of artists signed up and it was a great way to connect safely and show your work. This year, we are just trying to carry that same message, obviously with a little less restriction, but with more time making things. We are excited to see what people have been making!”

With June 15th as the cutoff date for artist registration, Gimbel Goldman mentioned what she is most looking forward to about for this year. “I am excited to be able see everybody’s work. Now that things are opening up again, a lot of people are just excited to have a venue to show everything they have been working on for the past sixteen months. I think there will be more group showings this year with people being able to move around and actually socialize. Last year it was sort of very isolated, with folks in their cars, but this year people will be able to gather safely, it will be nice to be able to have some small group shows amid these individual shows.”

About Art Apart becoming an annual event moving forward, Gimbel Goldman said, “We did go through the proper permit process, but it’s a unique situation because we are organizing this through the board members of the East Hampton Arts Council, with a lot of help from Sylvia Overby, one of East Hampton’s Town Councilwomen, who oversees our board too. We had to let the town police know exactly who all the participants are and where the locations are. I think it would be great if it could continue.”

Lastly, the women explained that the whole event has a jubilant atmosphere. They shared, “You travel all around to see the different art forms, of both amateurs and professionals of all ages, and genders, expressing what they have been creating during the pandemic.” As Lucas said, “It’s really a unique fun event. ”

A map with the featured locations is available at artapart2021.wixsite.com. There is no charge to go visit the displays and the women stressed to download and save the map and information, or even print it because of the sketchy internet situation that plagues the East End this time of year.