From fashion statement to fine art, hats captivate us. A new exhibition on the North Fork of Long Island, “Hat Mad,” explores our enduring fascination with hats. On view from August 21 through September 26, at M&C Artbarn in Aquebogue, the exhibition is presented in collaboration with North Fork Contemporary.
An opening reception will be held on Friday, August 21, from 5 to 7 PM with refreshments. Guests are encouraged to wear their favorite — or most outrageous — hat and pose for a portrait photograph.
Celebrating artistry, imagination, and the cultural power of hats and headwear, “Hat Mad” presents an irreverent exhibition of hats and related sculptures, paintings, drawings, photographs, and ephemera spanning more than 50 years. Featured artists and milliners include Jim Baldwin, Marta Baumiller, M.S Rezny, Tim Steele, Tong, Tracy Watts, Allan Wexler, and others. Blurring the line between fashion, contemporary art, and design, Hat Mad reveals how something as familiar as a hat can become an object of beauty, humor, identity, and artistic invention.
“Whether elegant, eccentric, or delightfully absurd, hats have always invited us to reinvent ourselves,” said artist and curator Marta Baumiller.
With its blend of contemporary art, fashion, craftsmanship, and humor, Hat Mad offers a lively and visually engaging experience that invites visitors to see hats — and perhaps themselves — in an entirely new light.
“Hat Mad” marks the second exhibition this summer at M&C Artbarn, a new gallery specializing in contemporary art founded by artists Marta Baumiller and Cliff Baldwin on Long Island’s North Fork. The gallery is located at 977 Main Road in Aquebogue.