In celebration of Women’s History Month, Southampton Arts Center is presenting a documentary screening that takes a deeper look into the life and work of one of the most important women pioneers in architecture, Eileen Gray. The film “Gray Matters” will be screened, in collaboration with AIA Peconic, on Thursday, March 23 at 6 PM. Following the film, a reflection panel led by AIA Peconic board president Lori K. Beppu with panelists and fellow AIA architect members Pamela J. Glazer and Viola G. Rhouani.
“We are delighted to be able to celebrate Women’s History Month with a special screening of the documentary ‘Gray Matters,’ which explores the groundbreaking work of Eileen Gray, an architect and designer who shattered the glass ceilings,” shared SAC executive director, Christina Mossaides Strassfield. “It is a film that empowers everyone, especially women, to reach beyond what was expected of them. The panel following the film will be filled with women who currently follow Eileen’s footsteps as trailblazers in their field.”
The documentary explores the long, fascinating life and complicated career of architect and designer Eileen Gray, whose uncompromising vision defined and defied the practice of modernism in decoration, design, and architecture. Making a reputation with her traditional lacquer work in the first decade of the 20th century, she became a critically acclaimed and sought-after designer and decorator in the next before reinventing herself as an architect, a field in which she labored largely in obscurity. Apart from the accolades that greeted her first building persistently and perversely credited to her mentor, her pioneering work was done quietly, privately, and to her own specifications. But she lived long enough (98) to be re-discovered and acclaimed. Today, with her work commanding extraordinary prices and attention, her legacy, like its creator, remains elusive, contested, and compelling.
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to share ‘Gray Matters’ with the community and to celebrate the legacy of Eileen Gray with my colleagues and the panel,” shared AIA board president and panel moderator, Lori Beppu. “As a pioneering designer and architect, Eileen Gray recognized that the desire to be modern must not come at the expense of the human experience, and her resonance today speaks to the relevance of her human-centric approach to design.”
“AIA Peconic is grateful to be partnering with SAC, presenting ‘Gray Matters’ to our shared East End community who value architecture and the role of architects in our society,” shared AIA Peconic executive director, Maria Fumai Dietrich. “Eileen Gray’s work and life is fascinating, as well as a testimony of what women architects and designers may experience. During this Women’s History Month, we acknowledge and learn from the past while celebrating the present and moving towards the future. The panelists are representative of the present and future, which I hope will feature many more female-identifying and otherwise underrepresented persons in the field of architecture.”
Tickets are $15 for SAC members and $20 for non-members. Licensed architects are eligible for two learning units for attending this program.
Register here.
