Guild Hall in East Hampton has announced one of its first offsite exhibitions titled “Now Here” will be held at the Amagansett U.S. Life-Saving Station. The No W here Collective, made up of artists Alice Hope, Toni Ross, and Bastienne Schmidt, will present this exhibition, which was curated by Christina Mossaides Strassfield. The exhibition will run from July 16 to September 30. A public opening reception will be held on July 17 from 4 to 6 PM.
The Amagansett Station was constructed in 1902 for the crew to keep watch for ships in distress through each night and in bad weather and perform rescue if necessary. The exhibition responds to the Life-Saving Station’s “faking box,” a life saving device and emblematic artifact of the station. The box has a similar aesthetic to the Metropolitan Museum’s Marshallese Navigation Chart, the No W here Collective’s founding inspiration. The artists will exhibit works in the south-facing crew quarters on the second floor, the western-facing backyard, and the southeast corner of the wrap-around porch, as well as other areas on the site. The project as a whole speaks to working together during the COVID-19 pandemic and saving one another through art.
Outdoor installations are viewable at all times and indoor works can be viewed from Friday to Sunday, 11 AM to 3 PM or by appointment. Exhibition-related programs include a “Meet the Artists” talk and walkabout on Sunday, July 31, at 3 PM, drop-in family workshops on Saturdays, August 6 and 13 from 12 to 3 PM, and a panel discussion with the artists on Saturday, August 20 at 5 PM.