Talks & Thinkers
Upcoming Events
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.
“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.”
July 27th Query: What can you learn from the people you disagree with?
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.
It’s a purrfect time to find a furry companion and pick up some pet-friendly tricks from our friends at the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF)! Join us as founding President, Jonathan McCann introduces the work of the non-profit, open-admission, no-kill shelter, and then turns the mic to volunteer and Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner Susan Denis for an afternoon program designed to give you the skills to calm and care for your pet. Bring your family and visit our parking lot, where the Southampton Animal Shelter’s mobile adoption unit will be set up, and SASF staff will be eager to help you find your new furry forever companion. Unable to have a pet but still love animals? Come by and support the shelter and find out ways you can volunteer, foster, donate, and support the foundation.
What is love? Is it different than a Crush? Is there truth written in the lines of fiction? Esteemed authors Ada Calhoun and Jessica Soffer invite you to a discussion about their latest novels, Crush & This is a Love Story, and to dive with them into the sea of inquiry as they trace their lines of intersection and experience. Both books were two of the most discussed books of the year, with This is a Love Story breaking into the New York Times best-sellers list and Crush, being named a most anticipated book of 2025 by Time, Vulture, Bustle, Bloomberg, AARP, and Literary Hub. Following the discussion, there will be a brief Q&A with the authors. Books will be available for purchase and can be signed at the end of the event.
Both works of fiction published earlier this year have an inspirational jump-off point rooted in the authors’ lives and deal with themes around partnership, love, loyalty, responsibility, and more. The nets in each book are cast wider than romantic love and allow readers to question the mechanics of love as it pertains to friendships, family, and professional colleagues.
Crush, published February 25th, 2025 with Viking/Penguin is Calhoun’s debut work of fiction. The author of the celebrated memoir, Also a Poet, as well as cultural histories St. Marks Is Dead and Why We Can’t Sleep, brings her signature wit and humor to the gripping, sumptuous, zeitgeist-y novel about the state of marriage, midlife, and what happens when both are upended by the sudden, electrifying passion of a crush.
“Crush (Such a charged word) interrogates all that we think we know about love and soulmates, commitment and conviction while tracking the long struggle to fully become oneself and do right.” – Booklist [starred review]
This Is A Love Story, published February 4th, 2025, through Dutton is Soffer’s sophomore novel and was received with enthusiastic critical acclaim like her debut novel There Will Be Apricots. Soffer brings a realistic, poetic, and delicate artistry to a moving family saga about a couple’s enduring love intermingling with their son’s feeling of alienation, a story of how hard life can be, and how the bond of love though tested can still endure in the face of inevitable challenges.
“Written with delicate and beautiful brush strokes, this is a love story of a long marriage, a love story of Central Park, a story of how hard life can be, and how the hard leaves its mark, but the love does too. Every once in a while I read a novel and think, what a gift. This is one of those books.” – Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful and Dear Edward
This program is presented with the support of Blue Rider Group at Morgan Stanley and Impax Asset Management
What technologies, innovations, and research are underway for a biodiverse and sustainable future – and how might you support these efforts? Connecting with the themes of humanity’s relationship to nature at the core of The Ark, this provocative discussion explores the ways the private and public sectors are investing in the future of our environment. The Church is grateful to welcome David Loehwing, Head of Sustainability and Stewardship, North America, Impax Asset Management, and Kevin McDonald, Senior Policy Advisor, Nature Conservancy. The pair will be joined by moderator Anna Raginskaya, Partner, Blue Rider Group at Morgan Stanley, and take a deep dive into the technologies and plans currently being developed to protect biodiversity in the future.
Loehwing’s expertise in sustainable investing, deeply engaged with these ideas is paired with McDonald’s experience working at the intersection of private and public interests coming together to build and protect the natural resources of our region.
The Church is pleased to welcome back Jeffrey Pegram, Tsalagi Nation (Cherokee) singer and composer and member of the Wolf Clan, for a presentation that explores the animal ‘clans’ and symbols of Native American traditions and narratives. What do our Indigenous neighbors mean when they say they are ‘turtle’ or ‘otter’? Come find out in the intimate and enlightening talk!
Pegram welcomes you to reconsider our wild four-legged brothers and sisters as family as we dive deep into the meaning of animal clans in Indigenous culture and the symbolic meaning of specific animals. For example, “wolves care about their families,” says Pegram. “They protect the group. Kids are their clan before they even arrive on the planet. They’re born into their families. Whatever their family is, they are naturally as well. If it’s wolf clan..they’re already wolves.” Presenting creation stories and sharing traditional songs about the wolf, the bear, the eagle, and the turtle, Pegram invites audiences to reconnect with Mother Earth through rhythm and sound. Following the discussion, there will be a brief Q&A.
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.
“If you’re as honest and fair as you can be, not only in business but in life, things will work out. I hope people remember me not just as a good businesswoman but as a great friend—
and a heck of a lot of fun”
– Kate Spade, Glamour, December 2002
The Church is thrilled to welcome Elyce Arons, fashion entrepreneur, style icon, business mogul, and NY Times best-selling author, to discuss her newly released memoir, We Might Just Make It After All: My Best Friendship with Kate Spade. Arons, who launched both Kate Spade and Frances Valentine with her best friend of 40 years, “Katy” Spade, will be interviewed by fashion icon Simon Doonan, with audience questions to follow.
Arons takes readers on a thoughtful and moving journey of friendship and sisterhood to weave together the coming-of-age story of two best friends and their new line of handbags that revolutionized the fashion accessories industry in 1990’s New York City.
Books will be available for purchase and can be signed by the author after the event.
Released June 17th, 2025, the memoir chronicles the powerful forty-year relationship, until Kate’s death in 2018. A celebration of Kate’s legacy as a cultural icon and loyal friend, the book takes readers into a deep dive into resiliency, perseverance, and what it takes to achieve success as a female entrepreneur while exploring the profundity in love and loss.
Nadia Ernestuswants you to think about gut health, the human microbiome, fermented foods, and the practical, delicious ways to nourish yourself naturally. Demonstrating how to ferment vegetables step-by-step and preparing a simple dish using fermented vegetables, the respected health coach will show us how easy it is to reap and enjoy this health benefit, offering participants a taste of a few ferments. Experience the different flavors and textures as you learn how to improve your health naturally and deliciously.
With a careful focus on traditional fermentation, participants will be invited to think about the connection between food and health and the powerful ways it can support our immune system and digestion. Nadia will cover the basics of how and why fermentation, a part of every traditional diet for thousands of years, works and share the science behind its benefits. Space is limited, please reserve your space in the workshop in advance. While participants will not be making their own fermented foods, they will enjoy a ‘taste buds’-on experience of the foods Nadia creates.
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.
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.
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 Harriet Cole, Don Lemon, Wendy Mills, Victoria Christopher Murray, Former Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook, and Jennifer Morgan, PhD for a live reading hosted by Sonny 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 Canyon, Jeremy Dennis, Faith Evans, Beverly Granger, Garry Grant, Paloma Hostin, Jennifer Ivey, Rod Ivey, Michael Jelks, Paula Nailor, 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
August 24th Query: What is on your mind?
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.
With over a decade of training and caring for dogs, Veronica Gryzbowska and Gail Murphy from Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons (ARF Hamptons) come to The Church and join animal lover and The Church Co-founder April Gornik in a lively discussion meant to reveal the truths (and dispel the myths) about our beloved four-legged family members. Learn something new or debunk old tricks from the experts and ask your questions during the Q&A. Ready to expand the fam? Visit the ARF adoption vehicle in the parking lot to find your new furry family member! Unable to have a pet? Come by and support the shelter and find out ways you can volunteer, foster, donate, and support ARF’s rescues.
“….When the dove returned to him in the evening,
there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf…”
The Ark is about to dock, and to celebrate our closing weekend, we invite our poetry-loving friends to the fourth installment of The Power Of Poetry, our community-driven poetry read-in. Gathering in the library, we will weave through a curated selection of poems that relate to The Ark as we explore man’s relationship to animals and nature and examine archetypal imagery of the flood, the raven, the dove, and the rainbow. Join us as we fill the gallery with the power of poetry— reading, listening, and reflecting on poetry in real-time.
As a reminder, the poems are curated in advance, and readers are assigned their reading order upon arrival. Poems are not pre-selected, rehearsed, or memorized but are actively engaged with as the reader steps up to the mic. Feedback from the community has been overwhelmingly positive, with many sharing that this format helps both listeners and readers feel liberated from ego and fully immersed in the poem.
If you are interested in reading,
please purchase/reserve a ticket first.
After check out, there will be a link to the
“Request to Read” form on your confirmation screen.
If you have any questions, please email kristen@thechurchsagharbor.org
SPACE IS LIMITED
September 28th Query: Where do you draw the line?
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.
