This past Memorial Day weekend, East Hampton’s LongHouse Reserve opened its newest exhibit, “A Summer Arrangement: Object & Thing.” Co-curated by Glenn Adamson and Abby Bangser, and featuring installation design by Colin King, the exhibit continues through September 3 and presents site-specific contemporary art and design, inspired by the reserve’s owner and founder, the late great textile designer Jack Lenor Larsen.
“Larsen was a master of the subtle art of arrangement,” Adamson says in a press release, “the objects in his collections were in perpetual motion, constantly finding new adjancencies. In a sense, this project simply continues that practice, while also giving an impression of what Larsen might be looking at and collecting if he were still with us today.”
The exhibit will take place within the summer living room, gallery, and guest level of LongHouse and will include works made from glass, metal, wood, fiber and ceramics along with wall works containing naturally dyed textiles, soil, plants and flowers.
Object & Thing is an exhibition platform that explores the convergence between objects, art and design. Since its inception in 2019 as an exhibition in New York City, Object & Thing morphed into a traveling exhibition program, organizing site-specific exhibitions and collaborations with dozens of artists and architects. It’s not hierarchical, as evidenced by contemporary objects juxtaposed with Larsen’s own personal collection of textiles, natural objects, and furniture presently at LongHouse.
“I am continually inspired by the process of organizing exhibitions in artists’ homes and LongHouse exemplifies living with objects of art in all forms,” says Bangser, Object & Thing founder.
Installations will include works from Alma Allen, Megumi Shauna Arai, Simone Bodmer-Turner, Enrico David, Sonia Gomes, Rashid Johnson, Wyatt Kahn, Jennifer Lee, Kiva Motnyk, Sam Moyer and Frances Palmer among others.
“It is exhilarating to have such an illustrious group of international contemporary artists and designers think about Jack Lenor Larsen’s work and LongHouse as an inspiration for their creative enterprise,” says Carrie Rebora Barratt, director of LongHouse. “Larsen liked to say that his work would never be done and meant for his arrangements to be carried on by artists who would be inspired by his collections and home.”
Situated on 16 acres, LongHouse was founded by Larsen over 30 years ago. The internationally renowned textile designer, writer, collector, curator and all-around champion of traditional and contemporary craftsmanship called the reserve home until his death at 93 in 2020. Originally set up as a non-profit sculpture garden and arboretum, the property is located in East Hampton’s Northwest Woods. The 13,000-square-foot house was built in 1986 and was designed by Larsen along with architect Charles Forberg. Done in the style of the Ise Grand Shrine found in Japan, the house is an affiliate member of Historic Artists Homes & Studios, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
“This exhibition presents the opportunity to experience Larsen’s legacy like never before,” says King, “and I hope guests will leave with a renewed inspiration for how they can appreciate and exhibit their own cherished belongings at home.”
LongHouse Reserve is located at 133 Hands Creek Road in East Hampton. “A Summer Arrangement: Object & Thing” will be on display through September 3 and is open to the public on Saturdays and Sunday from 12:30 to 5 p.m.. General admission is $20, with discounted admission available for seniors and guests with disabilities, and there’s no charge for kids, students and veterans. Get your tickets here.
