A NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
2022
Who says you can’t teach an old institution new tricks? While our building was under construction in 2022, we were nomads, popping up everywhere like a tent show. Our “Offsite” partners were Calvary Baptist Church, Carissa’s, The Church Sag Harbor, The Clubhouse, Main Beach, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, and so many more.
The focus has been on collaborations and one especially fruitful new relationship is with Works & Process at the Guggenheim. The Missing Element (dancers and beatboxers) was presented at Guggenheim, New York this spring, then by Guild Hall this summer at Main Beach, Stephen Talkhouse, and LTV. This longitudinal investment in artists is part of the latest direction at Guild Hall. With the newly founded Guild Hall William P. Rayner Artist-in-Residence program, we have been able to support artists like Hamptons Dance Project in the development of works that were then presented as part of our 2022 summer season.
Another first for Guild Hall was the presentation of an exhibition offsite at Amagansett Life-Saving Station, featuring site-responsive works by Alice Hope, Bastienne Schmidt, and Toni Ross. The 11th season of the popular Stirring the Pot with Florence Fabricant was also nomadic at Roberta’s Montauk, Sagaponack Farm Distillery, and Hayground School. Special thanks to our exceptionally adaptable, versatile, and capable program team for embracing the “on the road” spirit (Anthony Madonna, Christina Strassfield, and Amy Kirwin), and the Philanthropy team (Kristin Eberstadt, Eliza Rand, Kendra Korczak, Patricia Woicik and Giulia Mascali) for hosting breathtaking Member events at places like the Frank Stella exhibition at The Ranch, Montauk, and brunch with Laurie Anderson at the Elaine de Kooning House & Studio, East Hampton. Many patrons and artists are urging us to continue offsite after the renovation is complete.
Offsite programs —though logistically challenging— expand our audiences by bringing art and artists to wide-ranging places and offering never-to-be-repeated experiences. Making videos of programs (thank you, Joe Brondo) and events enables us to market these experiences to people beyond those in attendance. In 2023, we will continue to include “Offsite” programs and cultivation events while we gear up to move home next summer. Speaking of…
The improvements to our near-century-old building and grounds, spearheaded by our Chair Marty Cohen with the full support of our Board, are underway and overseen by the design team of Peter Pennoyer Architects, Hollander Landscape Design, and Auerbach Pollock Friedlander, with project management by MAASS and our own Jeannine Dyner. The changes are subtle, effective, and harmonious.
One first-time visitor on tour said the building layout was “so thoughtfully planned.” The creation of an art handling space (our first ever), enlargements of the “art path,” the enhanced height of the hanging space on the gallery walls, and natural light via the restored “lay lights” will make a world of difference for exhibiting artists. The exterior seating terrace, gardens, and lobby will welcome guests with places to gather and socialize. The classroom will be a dedicated artmaking and learning space. The theater—with plush continental seating, improved finishes, sightlines, acoustics, audio/visual technology, and areas to mingle—is beautifully considered. The circus tent motif remains while comfort, accessibility, and technology are dramatically improved.
Not a lick of this would be possible without you. Guild Hall has always been a civic institution, loved and nourished by devoted trustees, community friends, donors, members, artists, performers, and the hardest-working team in show business. Here’s to our celebrating our 92nd year together in 2023.
Grateful and happy,
Andrea Grover
Executive Director
VIEW THE 2020/2021 IMPACT REPORT
A NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
2020/2021
Thank you to our artists, trustees, staff, and patrons for seeing us through a most unusual period of accelerated evolution. From 2020 to 2021, we saw the growth of our streaming and hybrid programming, partnerships with a broad range of cultural institutions, an expanded residency for community artists-in-residence and collectives, and more resources devoted to learning and public engagement. We channeled the bulk of our artist and performer fees to creative professionals in our community and learned new ways to make things happen regardless of the hurdles. This is the definition of creativity.
We have taken the lessons learned from the pandemic and begun to envision Guild Hall as an interdisciplinary institution for the 21st century. To do this, we have assembled a team of leading designers to imagine a facility that can accommodate and even exceed the expectations of artists and audiences today and tomorrow.
Thank you to all who have supported Guild Hall despite the challenges faced by the world and in our individual lives. Together, we emerge at the close of 2021 as a more vital institution with a vision that will carry us creatively and boldly into the future.
Andrea Grover
Executive Director
