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Join us for a stellar evening as we learn about the night sky from our friends at the Vanderbilt Museum. This new collaboration will bring the Vanderbilt’s mobile planetarium to the main hall at The Church, with two showings of Stars: The Powerhouses of the Universe narrated by Mark Hamill. After each showing, the stellar exploration continues outside, as guests are led to telescopes set up in our garden (weather permitting). The event is timed for maximum possibility of viewing Saturn and the Earth’s moon, which are expected to be visible at that time. Learn, explore, and have fun with our guests, Planetarium Director Dave Bush, Planetarium Outreach Coordinator Rachel Goralski, and Astronomy Educator Britteny Mickaliger.
While space, the final frontier, may be far from limited, capacity for this event is. Reserving tickets in advance guarantees you entrance to your designated showing and time with the telescopes. Recommended for ages 9 and up. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Do you feel creatively blocked, stuck, or drained? Do you feel confused about something, can’t find clarity, don’t know what to do? Is there something that you can’t seem to change no matter how hard you try? Let’s write about it!
Join Kristen Santori as she navigates you through a simple reflective journal exercise. Learn how illuminating the language you use to code the world can decode the areas where a simple shift in diction can create a world of difference. Come to understand the beauty of the pause and how to transform your thoughts so that you can “dream” in “yes.” Participants are asked to bring their own journal/notebook, a writing utensil and a highlighter.
A disciplined journal keeper, Kristen has been keeping a morning writing practice for over a decade. Through writing and research, she has learned ways to rewire her neural network and become living proof of what a life can be once space for healing has been created and acted upon. This Wellness Monday presentation Kristen developed, created, around an exercise that was lived through in practice, served as a catalyst in her personal journey of wellness, and is now an invitation for others to see if it works for their benefit as well.
Dear Grownups, it’s time to find joy in bleak times! Welcome designer, educator, and play expert Cas Holman as she shares insight from her newly released book Playful: How Play Shifts Our Thinking, Inspires Connection, and Sparks Creativity. Holman is joined in conversation by the visual artist Liz Collins, who’s colorful, textile-based works and installations often reflect notions of play and connectivity. Following the discussion the dynamic duo invites you to a spirited Q&A as well as a book singing.
Drawing on psychology, history, art, and design, Playful makes a powerful case for the vital necessity of play in our lives and its essential importance to adult’s mental health, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Playful weaves together inspiring stories and eye-opening research into the emerging science of play. It shows us how adopting a playful mindset is crucial in helping us overcome fear of failure, embrace new ways of thinking, destress, reset, connect with one another, and grow our creativity at every stage of our lives. Come play!
Playful: How Play Shifts Our Thinking, Inspires Connection, and Sparks Creativity by Cas Holman with Lydia Denworth will be released by Avery, an imprint of Penguin Random House, on October 21, 2025.
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 5th.
November 23rd Query: What hardships are you grateful for?
Still, Small Voice draws its name from the idea of the "still, small voice" within—a quiet, inner voice that guides us in moments of reflection. This monthly gathering, started in 2023 as an artistic experiment, now returns as a community-led practice with rotating facilitators. It invites participants to engage in silent reflection and thoughtful sharing, centered around a question about creativity, community, and being human. We forever ever grateful for Nanao Anton & Erling Hope for their contributions, inspirations, and commitment.
This is a space to hear your and others’ authentic voices & own it in community, free of judgement or reaction, as necessary
This is not group therapy, a study group, a political action group or Quaker Meeting.
Please review our Community Values before attending.
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 11th date.
Diana Diamond is a preeminent expert on personality disorders, attachment, and narcissism. Join us for the opportunity to gain invaluable knowledge from a distinguished member of our community as she discusses narcissism as a clinical and social phenomenon. Dr. Diamond will reveal the impetus for her latest book, Treating Pathological Narcissism With Transference-Focused Psychotherapy. Cultural representations from art, literature, and film will be used to illustrate the universal fascination with narcissism. After the discussion there will be a lively Q&A.
The discussion will illuminate the special challenges of treating individuals with narcissistic disorders who retreat from reality into compensatory grandiosity, thereby compromising their lives and relationships. She will also discuss how to recognize when narcissistic traits become pathological and require treatment, and how practitioners can engage and connect more deeply with patients suffering from pathological narcissism. The ramifications of pathological narcissism in political and organizational life and relationship between collective and individual narcissism will also be discussed.
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.
Artist-printmaker and arts-educator Susan Bachemin invites you to the final Insight Sunday of the year. Diving into the process of Red Migraine, 2024, a work included in our exhibition Here & There: The First Churchennial, Bachemin reflects on her inspirations, process, and more. Following the discussion there will be a Q&A with the artist as well as an invitation to step into the Open-Studio with our 2025 Community Artists in Residence downstairs on the ground floor.
Bachemin’s work is influenced by a career trajectory that has touched several artistic disciplines. Film, music, commercial work, wallpaper design and more have given the artist a diverse set of skills that is as unique as the monotype prints she creates. A strong interest in printmaking is woven into her process and at the core of her work is the curiosity and reflection on health concerns among marginalized communities. Join us for a fascinating glimpse into our printmaker-in residence and learn more about the woman who runs our beloved printmaking workshops alongside Samuel Havens.
Bachemin’s work can be viewed during exhibition hours Thursday-Monday, 11 AM – 5 PM.
December 29th Query: Why are you here?
Still, Small Voice draws its name from the idea of the "still, small voice" within—a quiet, inner voice that guides us in moments of reflection. This monthly gathering, started in 2023 as an artistic experiment, now returns as a community-led practice with rotating facilitators. It invites participants to engage in silent reflection and thoughtful sharing, centered around a question about creativity, community, and being human. We forever ever grateful for Nanao Anton & Erling Hope for their contributions, inspirations, and commitment.
This is a space to hear your and others’ authentic voices & own it in community, free of judgement or reaction, as necessary
This is not group therapy, a study group, a political action group or Quaker Meeting.
Please review our Community Values before attending.
“The best way to spread love is to be LOVE!” says Bonnie Cannon, Executive Director of The Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center and our November Knowledge Friday Speaker. Join us as we explore the life, mind, and insight of a much-loved community pillar, music aficionado, and true community rockstar. Then stay for a Q&A with the living legend.
For nearly 20 years Bonnie has dedicated her life to ensuring the benefit and well-being of others. Creating safe play spaces to more formal childcare, expanding educational opportunities, and being a bridge for cultural unity, Bonnie has lived a full life of service and has become an inspiration point for many on the East End.