The Arts Center at Duck Creek presents Don Christensen: “Wood Paintings in a Wood Barn” in the John Little Barn and on the grounds at Duck Creek. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, April 29, from 5 to 7 PM. The artist will give a talk about his exhibit on Sunday, May 21, at 3 PM.
“Aquí Descansamos” is a site-specific installation by artist Brianna L. Hernández in the Little Gallery at Duck Creek. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, April 29, from 3 to 5 PM. The artist will give a talk about the exhibit at 3 PM on Saturday, May 13.
Both exhibitions will be on display from April 29 through June 4.
Christensen reflects on the Barn’s history and renovation with an installation of paintings on locally found wood and furniture. A veteran East End artist, Christensen works primarily in the language of geometric abstraction, employing a keen understanding of color relationships to create playful and spatially complex compositions.
Inside the Barn, Christensen presents a series of salvaged wood paintings, constructed from individually painted panels mosaicked together in rectilinear patterns. As in many of Christensen’s previous bodies of work, these abstract reliefs are titled after specific places and events.
Throughout the grounds, Christensen will install a new series of “sign paintings.” These large-scale constructions resemble traditional signage, but replace didactic or informational language with evocative planes of color.
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As a musician, Christensen finds a corollary between his interest in abstract art and instrumental music. “The emotionality that may come out of a piece of music may strike a lot of people the same way or in similar ways, but nobody could say exactly what it is.” Working in this non-referential arena, Christensen invites viewers to respond to the innate character of these salvaged materials and the formal relationships he’s invented within them.
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Hernández’s installation builds on the artist’s ongoing work expressing the complex layers of end-of-life care, the dying process, grief, and mourning rituals. The series, “Aquí Descansamos,” began as a living cemetery composed of floral sculptures that mirror the shapes of common grave markers. In contrast to the somber, grey-stone visuals of conventional cemeteries, these alternate memorials highlight color, growth, decomposition, and renewal, offering a space to celebrate life’s vibrancy while acknowledging its temporary and ever-changing nature.
At Duck Creek, Hernández expands on the series by incorporating burial vessels including caskets, urns, and shrouds, all similarly crafted from organic, ephemeral materials such as moss, soap, sand, seaweed, and beeswax. These vessels come together in the form of a funeral showroom, creating a familiar yet novel environment in which to consider end-of-life planning as an opportunity for empowerment.
Hernández is a Chicana artist, curator, educator, and death doula. She serves as Director of Curation and Board Secretary at Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation, and as Assistant Curator at the Parrish Art Museum.
This exhibition was inspired by an ongoing collaboration between Hernández, OLA of Eastern Long Island, and the Arts Center at Duck Creek, called Creative Memorial Workshop. Guided by the artist, bilingual participants created commemorative objects to honor lost loved ones.