Guild Hall in East Hampton presents “Liberty Labs: A Decade of Design,” on view from January 25 through April 19, running concurrently with Jason Bard Yarmosky: Time Has Many Faces.
“Liberty Labs: A Decade of Design” marks the 10th anniversary of the Liberty Labs Foundation, co-founded by Evan Yee, who grew up in Sag Harbor and is now based in Brooklyn. The exhibition brings together work by all the collective’s members, past and present, reflecting on their shared commitment to art, design, and community.
Presented in Guild Hall’s Marks Family South Gallery, the exhibition draws inspiration from the room’s history as a salon, a space where art, music, and conversation once converged. In that spirit, “A Decade of Design” invites visitors to engage directly with the works. Select furniture pieces may be used, sound elements will activate the space, and occasional public events will further animate the gallery, blending art, design, and social interaction.
Evan Yee leads the exhibition design, presenting functional objects and artworks from 33 current and former members. Together, they exemplify a creative community where collaboration and experimentation thrive — a living, working, and evolving studio environment.
“I often think about how lucky we are to have such a creative community and environment, but then I remember all the work that went in to build this and realize it was ambition, not luck, that built this collective,” said Evan Yee. “Despite our varied backgrounds, we all share a dedication to our practiced craft and a bold willingness to try new things. But what holds our collective together is not the work. It’s the meals we cook over the fireplace, the games of darts, our sailing team, and, of course, our parties. We stay at work late because we like to be here. And over these ten years, I’ve seen many of my best friends here find love beyond their practice and build families, me included. While we’ve had 33 dedicated members of Liberty Labs, we really have a much larger family; the spouses, the kids, our friends, the neighboring shops, studios and designers, the shop dogs and cats, and the regular clients we now call friends. This show is dedicated to that family.”
Participating artists include Alara Alkan, Alex Sagnella, Andrea Steves, Annika Bowker, Bowen Liu, Bryan Johnson, Charlie Recknagel, Cherylyn Ahrens, Chris Cushingham, Chris Gentry, Cissy Huang, Cody Campanie, Evan Jewett, Evan Yee, Jason Hernandez, Jason Pfaeffle, Jess Chace, Joel Seigle, John Koten, Jon Billing, Julien Leyssene, Kelsey Knight Mohr, Maggie Pei, Michael Yates, Pat Keesey, Pat Kim, Reed Hansuld, Sam Kallman, Shengning Zhang, Thomas Breglia, Thomas Yang, Timothy Furstnau, and Todd Higuchi.
This exhibition is organized by Melanie Crader, museum director and curator of visual arts, with support from Philippa Content, museum manager and registrar, and Claire Hunter, museum coordinator and curatorial associate.