(Long Island, N.Y.) This past weekend Hamptonites had a wide array of posh Hampton charity events to attend. One of my choices out of three very important causes, was the ArtHampton Fine Art Fair’s Opening Preview Party benefiting East Hampton’s LongHouse Reserve.
ArtHamptons Fine Art Fair returned once again on July 8 as one of the major events of the Hamptons and the summer art season. Art enthusiasts enjoyed the dazzling array and widest selection of important modern and contemporary artworks ever offered on the East End. The event featured 7,000 artworks many of which were viewed for the first time. Ardent art collectors enjoyed the freedom of shopping in museum style setting while tasting delectable culinary treats, wine and sampling the finest spirits in America. Many of the stunning displays were the length of 2 football fields.
All that attended enjoyed three hours of networking, meeting and mingling with elite and notable collectors, art influencers, art trendsetters and the most influential national art press. Indeed it was one of the premier events of the Hamptons – the place to see and be seen.
ArtHamptons, in its second successful year, generated a stunning $10 million in 2009 art sales from 68 galleries and received strong reviews in the press which referred to it as “a mini-Art Basel in the Hamptons” It is already considered one of the most successful “boutique” fine art fairs in America in addition the Hamptons Home & Garden Show in Southampton features 200 interior design and home improvement sponsors and is attended by 5,000 Hamptonites. Annually, it is one of the best attended events on the East End.
For more information on becoming an exhibitor or to learn more about the ArtHampton Fine Art Fair please visit http://www.arthamptons.com
The mission of LongHouse Reserve is to exemplify living with art in all forms. Through its arboretum, sculpture gardens, and educational programs, LongHouse collaborates art and nature, aesthetics and spirit, with a strong conviction that the arts are central to living wholly and creatively. Dedicated to quality and integrity, LongHouse programs encourage a broad concept of inspiring individuals to learn more about the arts.
To enable the Reserve to expand its activities with confidence in the future, Mr. Larsen made a gift of a remainder interest in his house and garden to the Reserve for $1 per year. Eventually LongHouse Reserve’s interest in the house and gardens will ripen into full ownership.
Susan and David Rockefeller pose for a photo-op with Cognac at the Oceana Splash Party in Water Mill, NY
LongHouse Reserve, is a nonprofit public charitable organization. It is chartered in the State of New York. LHR has been awarded many grants over the past few years from such organizations as The Cowles Charitable Trust, Cowtan & Tout/Larsen, The American-Scandinavian Foundation, Bank of America, Glickenhaus Foundation, Johnson Family Foundation, The J.M. Kaplan Fund, The Henry Luce Foundation, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Philip Morris Companies, Edward R. Roberts Family Foundation, and Vital Projects.
To learn more please visit: http://www.longhouse.org
On Saturday I attended the Oceana Splash Party in Water Mill, New York. The mid-summer event marked Oceana’s debut into the Hamptons community for an annual celebration of ocean conservation.
“Seventy-one percent of the planet is covered by the ocean, and it’s at a tipping point right now,” said Oceana board member Ted Danson. “The good news is that we still have a chance to turn the tide, and that is the message we want to communicate to our guests in the Hamptons.”
The glamorous evening featured a cocktail reception, buffet dinner and entertainment at the Water Mill home of Lois Robbins and Andrew Zaro overlooking Scott Cameron Beach on Mecox Bay. The night also included a live auction with the proceeds donated to Oceana, as well as a presentation on Oceana and its mission. Special guest Jackson Browne entertained supporters with his exclusive solo acoustic performance. Jackson Browne has written and performed some of the most literate and moving songs in popular music and has defined a genre of songwriting charged with honesty, emotion and personal politics. He’s been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 2007.
Oceana, founded in 2001, is the largest international organization focused solely on ocean conservation. Their offices located in North America, Central America, South America and Europe work together tirelessly on a limited number of strategic, directed campaigns to achieve measurable outcomes that will help return our oceans to former levels of abundance. The organization believes in the importance of science in identifying problems and solutions. Their team’s scientists work closely with a specialized group of economists, lawyers and advocates to achieve tangible results for the oceans.
Oceans cover 71 percent of the globe and they are as important to us as they are vast. Not only do they control our climate, they are an essential source of protein for nearly half the people of the world. They drive our economies. For millions of sailors, swimmers and vacationers of all stripes, they offer a refuge from the metal and concrete that encase our working lives.
Cognac interviews Recording Artist Jackson Browne at the Oceana Splash Party in Water Mill, New York
In the last few decades, we have seen the benefits of restored rivers and lakes – for ecological and economic health – in many parts of the world. We can reap the same benefits from healthy oceans. We can restore ocean ecosystems that will sustain us, entertain us, amaze us and generate jobs around the world for centuries to come.
At the event I interviewed Keith Addis, Chair Industry Entertainment Partners on the blue carpet. Mr. Addis is the co-founder of Industry Entertainment, a leading management and production company. He is also a longtime environmentalist. Before joining Oceana’s board, Addis was the Chairman of the American Oceans Campaign (AOC). Under his leadership, AOC founded by Addis’s longtime friend and client Ted Danson achieved victories on key marine issues including bottom trawling and offshore oil drilling. AOC merged with Oceana in 2001.
Unfortunately Mr. Danson could not make the event because of personal issues.
Ted Danson is best known for his role on the TV Show “Cheers,” but for those in the conservation movement, he is famous for his work as a passionate ocean advocate and Oceana spokesman. Danson assisted in creating the American Oceans Campaign in 1987, later becoming Oceana in 2001. In the last two decades, Mr. Danson has appeared in public service announcements, appealing to donors and testifying to the government on the condition of our oceans.
Celebrities and supporters that attended the event included: Keith Addis,Actor Sam Waterston, David Rockefeller, Sue Cohn Rockefeller, Senator Frank Lautenberg, Bonnie Lautenberg, Lois Robbins, Recording Artist Jackson Browne, James Simon, Realty TV Stars Mario and Ramona Singer and Fashion Designer Vera Wang.
The oceans are in trouble. There are many ways to support Ocean’s work: you can become a Wavemaker, attend one of our events, or give in a number of other ways. For more info please visit www.oceana.org
I also attended the 2010 Parrish Museum Midsummer Party at the Parrish Museum in Southampton, New York.
Actor Sam Waterson and Cognac pose for a photo-op at the Oceana Splash Party in Water Mill
This year’s event honored Beth Rudin DeWoody and Ross Bleckner, two individuals whose lives reflect an extraordinary commitment, dedication and passion to the arts. Deborah Bancroft and Dorothy Lichtenstein were the event’s co-chairs.
The Parrish Art Museum is devoted to the collection, preservation, interpretation and dissemination of American art with particular focus on the art of the East End of Long Island. Their new building in Water Mill is designed by internationally renowned architects Herzog & de Meuron. This new structure will enable to display their collections and highlight the development of the region as an art colony from its origins in the 1870s to the present. Since the summer of 2008, the story of artists who have come to the East End since the late 19th century has been presented in a dynamic online database that combines works of art from the permanent collection, the William Merritt Chase Archives, hundreds of source photographs, maps and timelines.
Summer in the Hamptons is like no other time or place in the world, and there is no occasion like the Annual Midsummer Party.
One of America’s most energetic and creative arts patrons, Beth Rudin DeWoody is a committed philanthropist, collector, curator, and great champion of the Parrish. Her dedication is matched only by her creativity and leadership. Over the years, Beth has served as a trustee of the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Brooklyn Academy of Music, and New Yorkers for Children, just to name a few.
Keith Addis,Sam Waterston, David Rockefeller, Sue Cohn Rockefeller, Jackson Browne, Dianna Cohen,James Simon
Ross Bleckner has been the subject of major exhibitions in museums internationally. Mr. Bleckner was the youngest artist ever to have a solo exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum—and his brilliant and beautiful paintings are held in prominent collections throughout the world. Also a noted humanitarian, Ross serves on the board of ACRIA and is the only artist ever to be named as a United Nations Ambassador for Goodwill for his work with children in Uganda.
Celebrities and supporters that attended were Philanthropist Sara Herbert Galloway, Bravo Realty TV Stars Sonja Morgan, Ramona and Mario Singer, Socialite Joy Marks and Socialite Dame Donna Anne Soloway.
