In a world saturated with technology, Jamie Diamond invites viewers to explore the evolving nature of relationships in her short film Skin Hunger. Join us at The Church for a screening of the film and a follow-up discussion and Q&A with the Creator Jamie Diamond, Director of Photography Matt Cianfrani, producers Amy Lawday and Abby Russel, and touch practitioner and subject of the film: Ella.

Peering into the epidemic of loneliness and the service economies that have emerged in response to the growing need surrounding touch, intimacy, Skin Hunger explores the emergence of a new kind of service: the renting of people for nonsexual touch, a.k.a. cuddling.

The 26-minute short film introduces viewers to Steven, a handsome, affable 60-year-old man who lives alone in Coney Island. He’s a film buff and, each day, he travels to Times Square for work where he is surrounded by people. But, inside, he is suffocating from loneliness and a yearning to be touched — or “skin hunger.” He contacts Ella, New York City’s leading touch practitioner, and embarks on a wild journey of discovery. “Skin Hunger” spotlights the phenomenon of paying for platonic touch, and its rapidly growing community which seeks to share the mental and physical restorative benefits of touch with the rest of the world. 

This screening has been program in tandem with our Fall exhibition Here & There: The First Churchennial. Learn more about the show by visiting our exhibition page here.

Bring a sketchbook, graphite or colored pencils, and/or pens and have a seat in the Main Gallery of The Church for a communal drawing salon led by artists and art professors Jackie Hoving and Norm Paris! This recurring program celebrates our fall exhibition Here & There: The Church’s First Churchennial while also honoring The Church’s commitment to fostering creativity on the East End. Flex your creative muscles as you draw the people around you, the space, or something that catches your eye in a meditative experience of observing and being present.

Norm, a professor at Rhode Island School of Design, and Jackie, a professor at Pratt Institute,  met as students in Sam Messer’s Yale Norfolk Summer School of Art program. It was there the couple spent time in Sam’s “drawing happenings” and were inspired by his belief in community and bringing people together through drawing. 

In alignment with The Church’s vision for a creative community, the Drawing Meetups invite participants of all skill levels to a laid-back environment with a communal spirit. Tables and chairs will be provided and participants are also welcome to find a space within the exhibition for a solo meditative drawing journey. Some graphite pencils and 8x11” paper will also be provided, though participants are encouraged to bring their own supplies. Charcoal, paints, and markers are not permitted in these sessions.

 Please note that this is a causal drawing session and not a class.

Do you enjoy digging deeper and learning about the history and concepts of art? The Church’s Executive Director, Sheri Pasquarella, and the photographer Ben Hassett invite you to join them as they build a dialogue around ten photographs that date from the advent of photography through today. Pasquarella and Hassett will each present five photographs — which will only be revealed as the event unfolds. The pair will then spontaneously examine, discuss, and appreciate the ten photographs individually, engaging the audience with a fun conversation designed for art-appreciators of all levels of experience, whether new to art criticism or aficionados. Join the conversation! What photographs do you think will be revealed? 

This program is a part of the exhibition Here & There: The First Churchennial, which presents arts and works from the artist in residency at The Church from 2021 – 2024.

What are the points of intersection between writing a biography and writing a memoir? Authors Bill Goldstein and Thymaya Payne explore this and more! The two discuss their latest literary endeavors that find them in a state of “trusting the process.” Each will share an excerpt from their current works-in-process before diving into a discussion about the intersections of their practices and experiences. The talk will close with a welcomed Q&A with the audience.

Goldstein’s work-in-process is a biography of Larry Kramer, the legendary American playwright, novelist, film producer, and AIDS activist. His work is born from years of research as well as a working relationship with Kramer while he was alive. This vantage point of both being present in Kramer’s physical timeline as well as conducting the research as a third person observer has presented unique challenges to Goldstein’s process.

Payne shifts gear to turn the narrative to his own life, a sharp contrast to researched-based works that explored the lives of others – including his forthcoming biography on civil rights leader Walter White and a documentary film on Somalian Pirates. His memoir-in-process, entitled AIDS, Raves, and Pirates, explores reflections on his relationship with his father. Payne’s process explores the validity of memory and questions the mind and heart’s tendency toward projection. 

Both Goldstein’s and Payne’s projects were in development here at The Church during Goldstein’s and Payne’s respective residencies.

This program has been programmed in tandem with our Fall exhibition Here & There: The First Churchennial. Join us as we honor the legacy of an activist, celebrate our LGBTQIA+ community, and stand together in allyship and community.

Please note that this conversation has been rescheduled from its original October 11^th date.

This program has been generously supported by the SHS Foundation, in honor of its treasurer, Sara Throne.

Welcome back Johnnie Cruise Mercer! Join us for a moving evening as Mercer presents his one act dance theater work, Mercies of a Butterfly.  A movement allegory on “weathering the storm,” the work follows a recently born spirit as they contend with weight, build strength to run, and eventually learn how to fly! With Mercer’s Black movement history at the center of the work’s structure, the dancer/choreographer/director publicly leans into his epic memory in order to share the goodness of letting go.

The solo performance involves close collaboration alongside a creative team of long-time collaborators and peers including music producer Young Denzel, film/video artist Torian Ugworji, horn player Robert McSweeney, drummer Jean Charlot, and fashion designer Pierre Rashad.

This performance has been programmed as part of our Fall Exhibition, Here & There: The First Churchennial.  More information can be found by visiting our exhibition page here.

Each exhibition, The Church presents an ‘after hours’ session that provides a stimulating, in-depth look at the show with the people who made it happen. For The Churchennial, we are presenting a dynamic format:  an introduction about how the exhibition came to be, followed by a ‘lightening round’ exhibition tour with several of the artists!

The program begins with a brief talk by Sheri Pasquarella, our Executive Director, who will share the insights and inspiration behind the show & the exhibition design. We’ll then go through the exhibition with ‘lightening rounds’ with exhibiting artists who will discuss or describe their work in their own words – including Linda K. Alpern, Amy Wickersham, John Wittenberg, Mark Webber, Sharon van Liempt-Brown, Margaret Garrett, Jim Gingerich, Roisin Bateman, Peter Solow, Francine Fleischer, Kerry Sharkey-Miller, Susan Bachemin and others tba!

What was the impetus behind the move to create this exhibition format, highlighting former artists in residence? How did we come up with the exquisite exhibition design? What does the work mean in the artists’ own words? Come find out in this unique experience within the Fall exhibition Here & There: The First Churchennial. Audience Q&A will be integrated into the tour and format.

Bring a sketchbook, graphite or colored pencils, and/or pens and have a seat in the Main Gallery of The Church for a communal drawing salon led by artists and art professors Jackie Hoving and Norm Paris! This recurring program celebrates our fall exhibition Here & There: The Church’s First Churchennial while also honoring The Church’s commitment to fostering creativity on the East End. Flex your creative muscles as you draw the people around you, the space, or something that catches your eye in a meditative experience of observing and being present.

Norm, a professor at Rhode Island School of Design, and Jackie, a professor at Pratt Institute,  met as students in Sam Messer’s Yale Norfolk Summer School of Art program. It was there the couple spent time in Sam’s “drawing happenings” and were inspired by his belief in community and bringing people together through drawing. 

In alignment with The Church’s vision for a creative community, the Drawing Meetups invite participants of all skill levels to a laid-back environment with a communal spirit. Tables and chairs will be provided and participants are also welcome to find a space within the exhibition for a solo meditative drawing journey. Some graphite pencils and 8x11” paper will also be provided, though participants are encouraged to bring their own supplies. Charcoal, paints, and markers are not permitted in these sessions.

 Please note that this is a causal drawing session and not a class.

Deepen your appreciation for the beauty of the line, shape, and form with artist Margaret Garrett. A former dancer turned visual artist, Garrett will discuss her inspirations and her process in the creation of Canon, a video that is representative of her movement-based work. Learn how making Garrett began making videos as a way to find shapes for her paintings and how this evolution led to the development of a new visual language for her—video collages that explore movement, shape, and the unfolding of contrapuntal patterns. Following the discussion there will be a spirited Q&A

Garrett’s Canon will be on view as part of Here & There – The First Churchennial, our fall exhibition and can be seen ahead of the talk during our exhibition hours Thursday-Monday 11 AM to 5 PM beginning October 5^th.

Calling all makers, creatives, artists, and writers! Bring your supplies and join us for a casual and no-pressure environment to make art together. A reimagined Late Night Open Studio, Artists & Makers Night invites creatives of all types to gather and make art together alongside our current artists-in-residence, Hollis Chitto and Daniel T. Gaitor-Lomack. Visit their studios to see their work, gain inspiration, and chat about process. Passionate about fostering creativity in its space and establishing an oasis for creative inspiration and connection, The Church welcomes you to break out of your solitary studio and make art with others!

Bring a sketchbook, graphite or colored pencils, and/or pens and have a seat in the Main Gallery of The Church for a communal drawing salon led by artists and art professors Jackie Hoving and Norm Paris! This recurring program celebrates our fall exhibition Here & There: The Church’s First Churchennial while also honoring The Church’s commitment to fostering creativity on the East End. Flex your creative muscles as you draw the people around you, the space, or something that catches your eye in a meditative experience of observing and being present.

Norm, a professor at Rhode Island School of Design, and Jackie, a professor at Pratt Institute,  met as students in Sam Messer’s Yale Norfolk Summer School of Art program. It was there the couple spent time in Sam’s “drawing happenings” and were inspired by his belief in community and bringing people together through drawing. 

In alignment with The Church’s vision for a creative community, the Drawing Meetups invite participants of all skill levels to a laid-back environment with a communal spirit. Tables and chairs will be provided and participants are also welcome to find a space within the exhibition for a solo meditative drawing journey. Some graphite pencils and 8x11” paper will also be provided, though participants are encouraged to bring their own supplies. Charcoal, paints, and markers are not permitted in these sessions.

 Please note that this is a causal drawing session and not a class.

Calling all Educators, Superintendents, and School Administrators!

Join us for a special Open House designed to support East End students and educators. Attendees will learn about existing arts enrichment opportunities for schools and students, as well as how to apply for our new ACE (Arts, Creativity, and Education) Pilot Program for the 2026 school year. Five selected applicants will be awarded a $5,000 budget each to support a yearlong arts education partnership with The Church.   

Enjoy light refreshments, connect with fellow educators, and meet our co-founders April Gornik and Eric Fischl, as they share the founding vision for The Church and its mission to inspire creativity on the East End.

Event Highlights:

• Program overview with Executive Director Sheri Pasquarella

• Learn how you district can benefit with Casey Kleister-Meyer, Operations Manager

• Explore possibilities with Kristen Santori, Programming and Communications Manager

• Tour our facilities and explore workshops with Samuel Havens, Workshop & Residency Manager

• Q&A and Feedback Session

• Food, beverage & Conviviality!

Registration is free. Space is limited.
This event is specifically designed for educators and school leaders –please share with anyone who may be interested.

Let’s inspire creativity together!

Photographer Mary Ellen Bartley will share the inspirations, evolutions, and challenges she faced while working on her project Morandi’s Books. Bartley’s 2020 residency at Casa Morandi in Bologna initiated Morandi’s Books, which offers a contemplative look into the personal library of Giorgio Morandi, the twentieth-century Italian painter renowned for his quiet and precise still life compositions. A six-week residency at The Church during the pandemic offered Bartley space for expanding the series which reflects Bartley’s deep engagement with Morandi’s restrained visual language while expanding her ongoing exploration of books as vessels of both form and feeling. 

Learn about Bartley’s process and ideas at our first Insight Sunday of the autumn. Following the discussion there will be a thoughtful Q&A.

Bartley’s work will be on view as part of Here & There – The First Churchennial,  our fall exhibition and can be seen ahead of the talk during our exhibition hours Thursday-Monday 11 AM to 5 PM beginning October 5^th.

Bring a sketchbook, graphite or colored pencils, and/or pens and have a seat in the Main Gallery of The Church for a communal drawing salon led by artists and art professors Jackie Hoving and Norm Paris! This recurring program celebrates our fall exhibition Here & There: The Church’s First Churchennial while also honoring The Church’s commitment to fostering creativity on the East End. Flex your creative muscles as you draw the people around you, the space, or something that catches your eye in a meditative experience of observing and being present.

Norm, a professor at Rhode Island School of Design, and Jackie, a professor at Pratt Institute,  met as students in Sam Messer’s Yale Norfolk Summer School of Art program. It was there the couple spent time in Sam’s “drawing happenings” and were inspired by his belief in community and bringing people together through drawing. 

In alignment with The Church’s vision for a creative community, the Drawing Meetups invite participants of all skill levels to a laid-back environment with a communal spirit. Tables and chairs will be provided and participants are also welcome to find a space within the exhibition for a solo meditative drawing journey. Some graphite pencils and 8x11” paper will also be provided, though participants are encouraged to bring their own supplies. Charcoal, paints, and markers are not permitted in these sessions.

 Please note that this is a causal drawing session and not a class.

This event has been postponed. New Date and time information forthcoming.

What are the points of intersection between writing a biography and writing a memoir? Authors Bill Goldstein and Thymaya Payne explore this and more! The two discuss their latest literary endeavors that find them in a state of “trusting the process.” Each will share an excerpt from their current works-in-process before diving into a discussion about the intersections of their practices and experiences. Moderated by Kristen Santori, the talk will close with a welcomed Q&A with the audience.

Goldstein’s work-in-process is a biography of Larry Kramer, the legendary American playwright, novelist, film producer, and AIDS activist. His work is born from years of research as well as a working relationship with Kramer while he was alive. This vantage point of both being present in Kramer’s physical timeline as well as conducting the research as a third person observer has presented unique challenges to Goldstein’s process.

Payne shifts gears to turn the narrative to his own life, a sharp contrast to researched-based works that explored the lives of others – including his forthcoming biography on civil rights leader Walter White and a documentary film on Somalian Pirates. His memoir-in-process, entitled AIDS, Raves, and Pirates, explores reflections on his relationship with his father. Payne’s process explores the validity of memory and questions the mind and heart’s tendency toward projection. 

Both Goldstein’s and Payne’s projects were in development here at The Church during Goldstein’s and Payne’s respective residencies.

Programmed in tandem with our Fall exhibition Here & There: The First Churchennial, this program also falls on what would be the 38^th anniversary of a massive LGBT march on Washington as well as National coming out day. Join us as we honor the legacy of an activist, celebrate our LGBTQIA+ community, and stand together in allyship and community.

Come celebrate with us! Stop in anytime between 6 PM and 7:30 PM on October 4^th to get the first look at our 2025 Fall Exhibition Here & There: The First Churchennial during our opening reception.  A multi-media exhibition, Here & There highlights the artists residency program at The Church from its first three years, 2021 through 2024.

Central to our mission to ensure that Sag Harbor continues its long history as a thriving center for makers and artists, this year-round residency program has featured over 128 artists and thinkers from around the world and from our community. More than 40 of those artists will be on view in all visual art media including painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, and video art, in addition to events and workshops in performance, music, and the written word.

Calling all makers, creatives, artists, and writers! Bring your supplies and join us for a casual and no-pressure environment to make art together. A reimagined Late Night Open Studio, the Makers Night & Open Studio, invites artists of all types to gather and make art together alongside our current artists-in-residence, James Esber and Madjeen Issac . Visit their studios to see their work, gain inspiration, and chat about process. Passionate about fostering creativity in its space and establishing an oasis for creative inspiration and connection, The Church welcomes you to break out of your solitary studio and make art with others!

Attendees are responsible for bringing all of their own supplies (including easels). The Church is providing its studio (including tables and chairs) for artists to utilize, as well as an environment of conviviality. Please note, there is limited capacity, and this program will operate on a first-come, first-served basis—Reserving your ticket through our website will guarantee you a spot in the studio. Furthermore, artists are responsible for all their own cleanup; clean up should begin half an hour before the event concludes. Operation of the monotype press will not be permitted. Thank you!

This program has been generously supported by
the SHS Foundation, in honor of its Treasurer, Sara Throne

The Church presents its very first unique
choreographed commission

Award-winning contemporary dancer and choreographer CLAUDIA HILDA  is joined by Dancer DANNY QUITANA for a dance performance in response and commissioned as a companion to The Ark. Subtly interweaving an expanded multidisciplinary practice that combines performance, video art, and writing, Hilda presents a multidimensional work that deeply explores and expresses the themes of our summer exhibition, enriched by her collaboration with Quitana’s traditional foundation in dance. Audience experience is heightened by the beautiful experimental design of recent graduate ELEANORE JEFFREYS whose love for immersive design invites you deeper into the performance. Additionally, guests are treated to a live performance from the musical genius of ALEX KOI, whose music has been described as “impossibly stunning” (Stereo Stickman). Space is limited; please reserve tickets in advance and avoid the waitlist.

Please note: Our Parking Lot will be closed today 8/23 - please park at St. Andrew’s or utilize village parking

The 5th Annual Celebrating Creatives of Color returns and for the second time will be hosted at The Church.  The event will showcase creative artists and authors of color from Sag Harbor and beyond, and provides an opportunity for artists and authors to display their work and interact with other art enthusiasts and collectors. All artwork and books will be for sale. 

Proceeds from this event will help support the Bridgehampton Childcare and Recreational Center (BCCRC) and The Church. Artists and Authors will donate 10% of their total sales to support these two important community organizations.

This year, we are pleased to offer a special Author Event as part of the celebration!

11:00 AM - 12 PM: Readings from select authors - Join authors Harriette Cole, Don Lemon, Wendy Mills, Victoria Christopher Murray, Former Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook, and Jennifer Morgan, PhD for a live reading hosted by Sunny Hostin. All books will be available for purchase and signed after the reading.

Purchase a grab-and-go treat from Deanna Smith, the party perfectionist, and linger to enjoy all the fair has to offer!

Visual Artists to include:  Judy Henriques Adams, Akili Buchanan, Daevon Byron, Andrew Canyen, Jeremy Dennis, Faith Evans, Beverly Granger, Garry Grant, Paloma Hostin, Jennifer Ivey, Rod Ivey, Paula Nailor, Michael Jelks, John Pinderhughes, Victoria Pinderhughes, Olney Marie Ryland, Shawn Rhea, Ernani Silva, Sharon Van Liempt, Sheniqua (Shea) Young. List in formation.

A warm wave of gratitude to the event organizers and Village of Sag Harbor residents from the Sag Harbor Hills, Azurest, and Ninevah Communities: Beverly Granger, Gwendolyn Hankin, Victoria Pinderhughes, Paula Taylor, and Olivia White.  Their efforts have helped to bring attention to emerging and established creatives while supporting community institutions that provide access to enhanced cultural understanding and continued learning.

For questions, please email CCCSagHarbor1@gmail.com

Monica Banks invites you to an inside look at the process and inspiration behind her work Restless Things, 2024, which is included in The Ark. Drawn to contrast and dissonance, Banks’s porcelain sculptures of dead birds and insects reference the delicate beauty and tragedy found in birds and small winged creatures. For Banks, “birds are everything,” and her work contains a deep sense of spirituality and hope that she considers “essential in all of us corporeal beings.” Join us for an intriguing discussion followed by a Q&A and leave with insight into the world of birds and winged things, as well as the artist’s unique approach to the traditional technique of porcelain.

 To explore Bank’s work stop by during our exhibition hours Thursday-Monday, 11 AM – 5 PM. More information about The Ark can be found by visiting our exhibition page here. Our exhibition is free and open to the public, no RSVP necessary.

What are the secrets of Lorne Michaels’ and SNL’s phenomenal success? Find out from those who lived it!

New York Times bestselling author SUSAN MORRISON, author of Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live will be joined in conversation with the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Art of the SNL Portrait, MARY ELLEN MATTHEWS, former SNL writer, actor, and producer JIM DOWNEY, and former SNL writer SARAH PALEY. Join us for an evening of laughter, insider stories, and a celebratory look at an elusive figure at the helm of one of the century’s most impactful comedy empires.  

Copies of Morrison’s Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live and Matthew’s The Art of the SNL Portrait will be available for purchase and signed after the event.

A special thank you to our collaborating community book sellers, Book Hampton, for joining us on this program.

It’s time to talk about perspectives and perceptions with artist Thomas Deininger. Deininger, whose art is a direct response to consumer culture and a call to action toward social-spiritual responsibility and evolution, will be joined in conversation by The Church co-founder and The Ark curator, Eric Fischl. The two will discuss Deininger’s work Pigeon on the Giacometti, 2024, which is included in the exhibition and will dive into Deininger’s creative process, his use of found objects, and how his work advances his values. Following the discussion the audience is invited to a Q&A with the artist and curator.

To view Deininger’s perspective-bending sculpture, that changes upon where you are standing in relation to it, stop by during our exhibition hours, Thursday – Monday, 11 AM – 5 PM. For more information about The Ark, including exhibition dates, please visit our exhibition page here.

“In order to escape madness, I will live madly. I will risk my life, in order to save it.” – Cory Richards

Join us in giving a warm welcome to Cory Richards, the man who summited Everest without supplemental oxygen, the only American to climb one of the highest peaks in the world in the winter, and 2012 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. The inspirational Renaissance man invites you to a deeply personal keynote that explores his most profound journey: navigating the depths of his own struggles with mental health. Following the talk, Cory will engage the audience in a thoughtful Q&A and host a book signing for his best-selling work.

Blending lived experience, hard-won insight, and breathtaking imagery and storytelling, Cory explores how depression, ADHD, anxiety, bipolar, and trauma –often labeled as disorders— can become the roots of creativity, grit, empathy, and innovation. He will unpack the myth of brokenness through the lens of mental health and neurodivergence, helping us see that the very real challenges of an unquiet mind can be transformed into the traits that drive bold exploration, artistic endeavors, and healing.

The best-selling author of The Color of Everything and BIPOLAR, welcomes you to an evening of hope, as we enter the mind and heart to receive a radical human perspective: “Our differences are not our downfall—they’re our design. And that design can become our most powerful gift. The goal isn’t to fix what’s broken. It’s to break the story that says we are.”

Natural forms and space are at the heart of Bryan Hunt’s sculptures and paintings. The creative explorer joins us for a very special Insight Sunday and invites the audience to an intimate dialogue centered on Ceta-II the wood, synthetic fabric, and steel sculpture included in The Ark. Is it a bird wing? Is it a tentacle? Is Ceta short for Cetaceans, otherwise known as a marine animal like a whale, dolphin, or porpoise? Is it a space creature infiltrating the animal-laden vessel? There is only one way to find out! Ask the man directly. Come with questions and leave with insight at our first Insight Sunday of the summer.

 To view Ceta-II stop by during our exhibition hours, Thursday-Monday 11 AM – 5 PM. The exhibition is free and open to the public. To learn more about The Ark, visit our exhibition page here.

What is blocking you from being happy, leading a full life, and moving you forward? No stranger to healing, Brahna Yassky, painter, and author, who is trained in art therapy invites you to find out in this Wellness Monday. Using healing techniques that she herself has used, Brahna welcomes you to look at the world in a different way. Using an intense focus on a particular object, art, and writing, participants will uncover memories, sensations, and emotions that are tied to their wellness.

In this hands-on workshop participants are asked to bring with them an object that has great significance to them (or a photo if the object cannot be moved), their own art supplies (sketchbook, pencils, watercolors, paintbrush), a notebook, and a pen. Through Brahna’s guidance, you will spend your time during the workshop drawing or painting the object and/or activating your language center as you write about the object. There will be an opportunity to share your thoughts and reflections on your work.

In 1982 Brahna was literally on fire. This accident resulted in Brahna’s arduous and painful healing journey. This journey and the path to her success are documented in her book Slow Dancing with Fire – A Memoir of Resilience. Brahna will read a passage from the book that illuminates how she learned to see differently. The author and artist welcomes you to learn from her experience, engage in community, and chip away at the things holding you back so you can bloom in your wellness. Copies of Brahna’s book will be available for purchase.

“You learn for yourself not for others, not to show off, not to put the other one down learning is your secret, it is all you have, it is the only thing you can call your own. nobody can take it away…” – Louise Bourgeois, Louise Bourgeois: The Return of the Repressed: Psychoanalytic Writings.

In a unique pairing to discuss a one-of-a-kind artist, Philip Larratt-Smith, esteemed curator, writer, and Curator of The Easton Foundation, which administers the legacy of Louise Bourgeois, joins in dialogue with Jamieson Webster, clinical psychoanalyst, teacher, and writer who has published work on Bourgeois and many other artists. The two will examine Spider Couple, 2003, Bourgeois’s iconic 12-foot sculpture featured in our exhibition The Ark. They will also expand their discussion to include the symbolic use of animal imagery prevalent in late artist’s profound body of work. There will be a Q&A following the discussion.

One of the most important and influential contemporary artists of the last century, Lousie Bourgeois is a fearless diver into the psychological realm. Over several decades, the artist plunged into the depths of her own psyche, fueling her creative process with heightened introspection, cathartic examinations of early childhood trauma, and more. Her use of personal symbolism, recurring motifs,  and psychological release within her work created a unique stylistic dimension and a distinctive symbolic code. This code, though highly personal and individualized, has helped to capture the complexity of human experience and emotion, creating a collective sea of understanding around it.  Join us as we submerge into Bourgeois’s world and perhaps contemplate our own introspective reality and its role in the creative process.

Louise Bourgeois’s work Spider Couple is on view on our outdoor deck adjacent to our mezzanine level during our exhibition hours Thursday – Monday, 11 AM – 5 PM. In addition to being the first time The Church will use the outdoor deck as part of the exhibition, it also marks the first time one of these celebrated works will be shown at an arts institution on the East End. We invite you to stop by and see a little web of history as it’s being made.

The Church is honored and grateful to present a rare discussion with the legendary multidisciplinary artist Bruce Nauman. Joined in conversation by The Church co-founder and visual artist Eric Fischl, Nauman and Fischl will speak about art and process, touching on the themes present in Nauman’s work that is included in our summer exhibition, The Ark, curated by Fischl.

Working in nearly every artistic medium, thoughtfully refusing to adhere to rigid artistic distinctions, and sometimes creating new genres while completing his work, Nauman is an indispensable source of insight and a model of artistic authenticity and integrity. This rare opportunity, as Nauman seldom speaks about his work and creative process, promises to be a celebratory event of profound revelation.

Nauman’s work 2 plaster foxes head to foot with plaster can and hammer, 2024 is part of our summer exhibition The Ark, and can be experienced during our exhibition hours, Thursday through Monday 11 AM – 5 PM.  To learn more about our exhibition and to check out the exhibition checklist, please visit our exhibition page here.

There is a certain degree of magic required in curation, be it curating other people’s work or composing your own work and vision for an upcoming exhibition. To celebrate the concurrent opening of two mammoth shows, The Ark at The Church and Amy Sillman: Alternate Side (Permutations #1-32) at Dia Bridgehampton, artist/curator Eric Fischl joins renowned artist Amy Sillman in dialogue, discussing their respective shows and the process of putting them together. The collaborative program invites audiences to inquiry and insight as the two artists share their perspectives and values in determining thematic choices, inclusion, and overall vision, while doing a deep dive into two of this summer’s great East End contemporary art exhibitions. The pair will be joined by Jordan Carter, Curator and Co-Deapartment Head, Dia Art Foundation, who will moderate the dialogue and offer his own insights into the process. Following the discussion there will be a Q&A with the two.

Tickets are limited so please purchase in advance to avoid the waitlist.

To view The Ark, curated by Fischl please stop by The Church during exhibition hours, Thursday-Monday, 11 AM – 5 PM. To View Amy Sillman: Alternate Side (Permutations #1-32), please stop by Dia Bridgehampton at 23 Corwith Avenue, Bridgehampton, NY during exhibition hours Friday – Sunday, 12 PM – 6 PM. Both exhibitions are free and open to the public.

The Church is thrilled to collaborate with the Sag Harbor Cinema for a special screening of Lousie Bourgeois: The Spider, The Mistress, and The Tangerine.

As a screen presence, Louise Bourgeois is magnetic, mercurial and emotionally raw. There is no separation between her life as an artist and the memories and emotions that affect her every day. Her process is on full display in this extraordinary documentary. As an artist, Louise Bourgeois has for six decades been at the forefront of successive new developments, but always on her own powerfully inventive and disquieting terms.

In 1982, at the age of 71, she became the first woman to be honored with a major retrospective at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. In the decades since, she has created her most powerful and persuasive work that has been exhibited, studied and lectured on worldwide. Filmed with unparalleled access between 1993 and 2007, Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine is a comprehensive and dramatic documentary of creativity and revelation. It is an intimate, human and educational engagement with an artist’s world.

Our first program for The Ark exhibition explores the process and technologies used for two of the exciting works in the show – one of which uses the latest technologies in sculpture making (3D printing), and the other a demonstration of one of the most historic sculpture techniques (the ‘lost wax’ technique featuring the use of clay hand-modeling for casting bronze). Even more thrilling – the two artists come from Europe, here only briefly for the opening of the exhibition. A rare opportunity all around!

Artist Daniel Firman wants to talk about the elephant in the room… the elephant. Friman’s Le Sommeil en Forêt (The Sleep in the Forest), a life-size sculpture of an elephant, can be seen balancing on its trunk front and center in The Ark. This sculpture was made via a special 3-D printing process and printed specifically for this exhibition. Fresh flown in from overseas, Firman invites audiences to an inside look at his creative process and what it took to bring this colossal figure to life. Firman will be joined in conversation by The Church co-founder April Gornik. Following his discussion there will be a brief Q&A with the audience.

Then, with the quiet stealth of a jungle cat, artist Patrick Villas invites the audience to witness a live sculpting session in our studio space. The sculptor of Monumental Walking Panther, 2021, and Cheetah, 2006, which are both included in The Ark, will present a live demonstration of his process while Edwina Van der haegen offers a technical explanation of what is occurring. Following the demonstration there will be a Q&A with the audience.

Join us for this very special event. Space is limited so get your tickets early and avoid the waitlist!

Step inside The Church on June 21^st from 6 to 7:30 PM to witness its latest transformation as The Ark opens its doors for its first public viewing. The 2025 Summer exhibition curated by Eric Fischl, refers directly to the myth of the Deluge: an event of such apocalyptic scale, forewarned, unheeded, and unstoppable, that it appeared it would be the end of all life on earth. However, through human resourcefulness, will, and compassion, the Great Flood marked a new beginning, a do-over… a rebirth. Composed solely of animal sculptures by over 40 international artists of the last century, the exhibition looks closely at man’s relationship with animals, nature, and self. 

Join us any time between 6 PM and 7:30 PM on Saturday, June 21^st for the first glimpse of The Church like you’ve never seen it before! No tickets or RSVP’s are necessary for this special evening. The exhibition will be on view from Sunday, June 22 – Monday, September 1^st during our exhibition hours, Thursday – Monday, 11 AM – 5 PM. Be sure to check out our sculpture installations in our public garden as well! And check out our Events Calendar for more exhibition-related programming (coming soon!). For more information about The Ark, please visit our exhibition page here.

In celebration of our collaboration of The Ark Community Project, we are delighted to announce the simultaneous opening at The Sag Harbor Whaling and Historical Museum. Stop by The Whaling Museum between 5 PM and 7:30 PM for snacks, drinks, and their signature Dark and Stormy cocktail, and take in their exhibition. The marine animal-themed show, curated by Dave. O., features sculptures and paintings immersed in the whale soundscape and includes work from 13 artists. Artists featured include Patton Miller, Scott Bluedorn, Isadora Capraro, Georgia Suter, Jim Gingerich, Franco Cuttica, Forrest Gray, Nick Whelan, Kevin Ink, Loren Eiferman, and Cayce Adams. All works of art will be for sale and a silent auction, with a chance to bid on the community-built Ark, will be live! Admission for the Sag Harbor Whaling & Historical Museum’s Annual ‘Calm Before the Storm’ Party is free with a suggested donation of $50. Donations benefit the Whaling Museum and may be made here.

Artists Featured in The Ark: Monica Banks, Louise Bourgeois, Rembrandt Bugatti, Deborah Butterfield, Joan Brown, Maurizio Cattelan, Thomas Deininger, Jim Dine, William Edmondson, Angus Fairhurst, Daniel Firman, Elizabeth Frink, Jean-François Gambino, Brendan Hemsmondhalgh, Nicola Hicks, Bryan Hunt, Jörd Immendorf, Ryan Johnson, William Kent, William Kentridge, Sherrie Levine, Sarah Lucas, Kate MccGwire, Allan McCollum, Mentawai people, Bruce Nauman, John O’Reilly, Charles Ray, Germaine Richier, Jane Rosen, Susan Rothenberg, Claudette Schreuders, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Kiki Smith, Anthony Theakston, Nichola Theakston, Catherine Thiry, Rosemarie Trockel, William Tucker, Patrick Villas,  and Daisy Youngblood.