Southampton Arts Center keeps community at its core
Its mission is simple: building community through the arts.
The intense amount of work that goes into creating the enlightening, exciting, accessible programming all year long is nothing but, though. Now in its 12th season, the Southampton Arts Center (25 Jobs Lane, Southampton, 631-283-0967) is the community’s friendly neighborhood arts and cultural institution, providing East Enders with a space to view and experience works by local and international visual, literary and performance artists, as well as a space to make their own art.
Situated inside a stately 127-year-old brick building designed by 19th-century architect Grosvenor Atterbury, the center was once the site that Samuel Longstreth Parrish commissioned to house and share his beloved art collection on the East End. When that institution moved to Water Mill over a century later, Southampton Town, which owns the Jobs Lane property, knew it needed to remain a home for the arts — and indeed it has (and then some).
“At that point, there were certain people who are still on our board, the founding members, who decided they really did not want to see the building turned into a commercial sort of real estate, which was one
of the things that was being discussed,” says Southampton Arts Center executive director Christina Mossaides Strassfield. “They really felt that it was important to have an art center in the middle of town.”
The multidisciplinary nonprofit’s easily accessible presence on Jobs Lane has provided the necessary momentum for SAC’s vastly far-reaching, year-round programming. Tirelessly run by Strassfield, who’s been at the helm since January 2023, and her tiny but mighty team of less than a dozen, the Center sees over 40,000 annual visitors. Strassfield and her team churn out at least four major exhibitions each year, including the bi-annual East End Collected, a collaborative effort that exhibits nearly 50 local artists and is usually co-curated by Strassfield and Patton Miller, a Southampton artist.
SAC also plays host to almost 200 annual events, often collaborating with other art entities and nonprofit organizations across the South and North forks. In addition to exhibitions, programming includes first-run film screenings, panel discussions, curator-led talks, live musical performances and comedy acts.
Four flexible gallery spaces contain a rotating selection of paintings, sculptures and mixed-media pieces, while the back of the building holds a 170-seat theater and stage. Inside the adjacent art studio, art classes are held nearly every week and range from live figure-drawing sessions to watercolor workshops to paint and sips. Affordable classes and workshops are available to everyone.
Exhibition space can also be found outdoors on the center’s three-acre property, which contains the iconic courtyard boasting the collection of Parrish’s statuary reproductions of Roman emperors. Tranquil, open and available for all to enjoy, SAC’s outdoor area features a fountain, an ever-rotating cache of sculptures, and tables to sit and contemplate art and nature. An outdoor stage accommodates a weekly film series during the warmer months. as well as myriad concerts offering a range of musical performances.
“It really creates a wonderful environment,” Strassfield says. “People bring their picnic blankets, they bring food, they have some wine and sit down and enjoy being outside listening to music, or watching a film or even a lecture. It’s a great opportunity because it extends our space even further. We try not to be too stuffy.”
Additionally, two of the center’s largest events are hosted on the grounds: the summer dance and cocktail party, “Whimsy,” slated for the end of June, and Summerfest, a fundraising benefit that contributes about a third of the nonprofit’s annual income. Throughout the year, there is free entry to view all exhibitions.
“We try to be extremely welcoming. I think that, especially our front-of-house ambassadors, are just amazing,” Strassfield says. “They know so many people by name and greet them. And people just love it. It’s like meeting a friend; it’s really fun.”
The Southampton Arts Center is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Individual memberships start at $55; senior-citizen memberships are $45. Visit southamptonartscenter.org for more information.
