LongHouse Reserve — the 16-acre reserve and sculpture garden located in East Hampton founded by Jack Lenor Larsen — announced the recent additions of four members to its Board of Trustees: Caroline Baumann, Dr. Derick T. George, Ayse Manyas Kenmore, and Fitzhugh Karol.
“Through COVID 19, LongHouse is still thriving and we’re grateful to be able to grow our capacity as an organization, continue our commitment to diversity, and propel the globetrotting, multicultural vision of Jack Lenor Larsen into a bright future,” said President of the Board, Dianne Benson.
“We’re thrilled to welcome these four Trustees who refresh us with their new perspectives: a museum professional to ease our transition from garden to institution, a man of medicine to help guide us through this pandemic, a seasoned political and human-rights activist, and a young artist primarily interested in building things for a new generation,” she continued.
Baumann, formerly the director of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, is a New York City based design connoisseur, working in the fields of design, technology, education, and social change.
“I am deeply honored to join the LongHouse board, and serve my friend and master textile weaver, entrepreneur, and collector Jack Lenor Larsen, and the entire LongHouse team and community, at a time when celebrating life with art and design is more necessary and enriching than ever,” said Baumann.
George is the chairman and a founding member of Long Island Anesthesia Physicians, LLP, currently the Director of Anesthesiology at Mather Hospital and St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson.
“My friend and mentor, Dr. Richard Dranitzke, introduced me to the magical place that is LongHouse,” he said. “The opportunity to serve on the board is a blessing. I trust that I will sustain and fulfill Jack Larson’s visionary efforts and keep his dreams of LongHouse alive for generations to come.”
Most recently, he was honored as Mather Hospital’s Physician of the Year and awarded with St. Charles Hospital’s Theodore Roosevelt Award for exceptional dedication, volunteerism, and commitment to the hospital community.
Kenmore is a devoted philanthropist, having served on the boards of political, social service, human rights, and HIV/AIDS organizations. These include Design Industries Foundations Fighting AIDS, The National Aids Memorial, San Francisco Aids Foundation, The S.F. Main Library, and a Presidential Appointment to the Board of the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.
“After 30-plus years of being a Jack Lenor Larsen groupie and LongHouse devotee, my sentiments on becoming a LongHouse Trustee are joyful,” said Kenmore. “LongHouse, which has always been a sanctuary of beauty and harmony, now performs a therapeutic role in the pandemic; it’s an emotional and visual reminder that even in chaos, creativity, and calm survive and thrive.”
Karol is a multi-disciplined American artist, working with metal, wood, and clay to create artwork that ruminates on man’s imprint in the landscape. His practice ranges from work that can be contained within a gallery setting to large-scale public sculptures that create an inviting and unconventional way to experience art. LongHouse’s youngest board member, is resident artist at architectural design and development firm The Brooklyn Home Company, and resides in Brooklyn and Springs with his wife, Lyndsay and their two children.
For more information, visit www.longhouse.org.