All In A Weekend: A Round-Up of Events on the Forks
After the madness of the holiday weekend last week, this weekend’s events are taking on a decidedly reflective aura, with plenty of thoughtful arts, theater and musical experiences to be had on both forks.
Be a Part of a Peace Exhibit
The NAWA Axis for Peace project, designed by internationally acclaimed social and environmental Japanese artist Mariyo Yagi, is creating its first-ever peace sculpture in the United States, at LongHouse Reserve on Saturday morning, May 31. Beginning at 10 a.m., more than 50 people will gather at LongHouse and work together to assemble the 30 foot-high sculpture. During this process, participants “become” the artists. Like a strand of DNA that inherits genetic information, more than 100 hands will be twisting the NAWA rope, imbuing each strand with their spirit and creating great strength in the completed form.
Says Dr. Yagi, “I have pursued innovative approaches in the fields of environmental art with an enduring commitment to creative interaction, spiritual enrichment, and the building of social community. My work is especially informed by Japanese ritual aesthetics, which have long emphasized that human beings and the forces of nature are active collaborators in the making and remaking of our dynamic, alive universe.”
A short video of the project is online here. More information is online here.
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Art Sites in Riverhead presents an opening for this collaborative work between North Fork poet LB Thompson and painter Ellen Wiener on Sat., May 31 from 5 to 8 p.m. Both artists are known in their respective fields for intense hermetic attention to form and detail. The Beacon’s in-depth story on the show is online here.
Andrea Cote on Temporary Public Art
Artist Andrea Cote will discuss her temporal projects in the public realm that engage the community in a lecture at Guild Hall in East Hampton on Sat., May 31 from 3 to 4 p.m. These include the recent “Eyes on Main Street” for Downtown Riverhead, and artworks in conjunction with the O, Miami Poetry Festival, DUMBO Art Under the Bridge in Brooklyn, and Art in Odd Places in NYC.
There are numerous other openings on the East End this weekend, including the East End Photographers Group Spring Exhibition at Ashawagh Hall in Springs on Sat., May 31 from 5 to 8 p.m., Transcendental Feminine Fantasy at Richard J. DeMato Gallery in Sag Harbor from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. and a reception for the works of Anahi DeCanio and Michael Maas at the Rosalie Dimon Gallery in Jamesport on Sun., June 1 from 3 to 5 p.m. The Beacon’s full arts listings are online here.
Discover the Pine Barrens
Saturday May 31 is the Pine Barrens Discovery Day at the Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge in Shirley. The event includes presentations about Long Island’s Birds of Prey, Marine Life, Flying Squirrels, Fire Tower History, Fire Rangers and Wildlife Forensics, nature walks and games and activities. More information is online here.
Go Hiking with Rick Whalen
Rick Whalen leads some of the most fascinating hikes of the far eastern half of the South Fork, and this Saturday morning, May 31, beginning at 10 a.m., he’ll take hikers on a walk through the Montauk Parkway Trail and Laurel Canyon. This wide-ranging, eight mile excursion includes trips to Split Rock, Laurel Canyon, and a slice of Fort Pond Bay. Meet at the Montauk Recycling Center parking lot, north side of Route 27, about 2 miles east of the Hither Hills (West) Overlook, and make sure to bring food and liquids. For more information, call Rick Whalen at 631.267.6608 or 631.275.8539.
The Sound of the Piano
Pianist Eleonor Bindman, who has performed at Carnegie Hall, The 92nd Street Y, Merkin Hall and Alice Tully Hall, performs at Poquatuck Hall in Orient on Sat., May 31 from 4 to 6 p.m.This concert is part of the Poquatuck Hall Concert Series produced and directed by Jane Smith and featuring artists who have performed at nationally known venues. A $20 suggested donation goes toward Poquatuck Hall preservation efforts.
Jazz en Plein Air
On the last Friday of every month from May through August, Parrish Art Museum hosts ”Jazz en Plein Air,” a free concert series on the museum grounds. Eliot Zigmund kicks off the summer with a concert on Friday, May 30 at 6 p.m. Mr. Zigmund is known among jazz enthusiasts as the drummer who backed up jazz innovators such as Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Fred Hersch, Jim Hall, and Bill Evans, appearing with Mr. Evans from 1975 to 1978, and appearing with Mr. Evans and bassist Eddy Gomez on the “You Must Believe in Spring” album.
Other musical highlights of the weekend include Buster Poindexter‘s performance at the Stephen Talkhouse on May 31 at 7 p.m. and Caroline Doctorow and the Come What Mays’ performance at the Stephen Talkhouse on June 1 at 8 pm. The Beacon’s full music listings are online here.
Ian Frazier at Canio’s
The New Yorker writer Ian Frazier will discuss Russia, read from his book “Travels in Siberia” and discuss an article on horseshoe crabs that appeared in the April 14 edition of The New Yorker at Canio’s Books on Saturday at 5 p.m. The New York Review of Books describes Mr. Frazier as “a sophisticated, intense writer who — Twain-like — uses a deceptive style of naiveté and comic self-deprecation to carry serious perceptions….Always beautifully written, often very funny, serious, and moving in its cumulative impact.”
Theater
Several East End theaters are continuing runs of some fine shows this weekend, including “Red” at Guild Hall, the world premiere of “Conviction” at Bay Street Theatre, “God of Carnage” at the Hampton Theatre Company and “Into the Woods” at the North Fork Community Theatre. The Beacon’s full theater listings are online here.
