In honor of our 90th Anniversary, we are thrilled to bring back our signature Garden as Art event, featuring the gardens of a select group of beloved local and world-renowned artists and horticulturalists. Join us on Saturday, June 26 as we take a peek behind the hedges of the exclusive, varied, and eclectic gardens of these remarkable individuals. Self-guided tours run from 12-5pm, and you’ll have the opportunity to stream a live lecture from Guild Hall beforehand to inspire your journey!
Garden Lover Tickets start at $150 for the opportunity to stream a virtual lecture that will be happening live from Guild Hall as well as self-guided tour of the gardens.
With the purchase of a $500 Benefactor-level ticket, you will also be invited to the live panel discussion moderated by Edwina von Gal at 10 AM at Guild Hall and a cocktail party in the seaside garden of Kathy Rayner in the late afternoon. [Please note: Capacity for cocktail reception is limited.] Situated between Georgica Pond and the Atlantic Ocean, the Rayner garden has evolved over 25 years to feature an interconnected group of distinctive rooms – the result of Kathy’s collaboration with designers, artisans and the team led by master gardener, John Hill. The garden displays a synthesis of themes of the art, architecture and horticulture of India and Europe. It is the perfect way to end the day after an inspiring lecture garden visits.
Tour highlights include:
Painter and Guild Hall Academy of the Arts member Ross Bleckner is tucked away in his serene enclave creating art and living among his paintings on an astounding scale. Stroll through his studio and enjoy dozens of massive works in progress, notice the triangulation of earth/nature, living and creativity that make this one of the most captivating places on the East End.
Enjoy a walk around the spectacular, lush property of artist Lucy Cookson. Cookson and her team have collaborated to design several multi level vistas around her elegant home including a terraced flower garden.
Tucker Marder has taken the family business of plants and horticulture to an extreme form of expression with a living walk through time at his emerging project, The Folly Tree Arboretum. A visit here is a singular opportunity to witness a pure expression of passion and creativity. What do the moon, gravity, Hiroshima, and Johnny Appleseed all have in common? Come find out when you visit Tucker and Folly Tree Arboretum. This is the kind of project and passion that will make you fall more deeply in love with the Hamptons.
Enjoy a rare visit to the world of Tony Ingrao and Randy Kemper in the fine estate they have created in partnership with Charlie Marder. It’s clear when talking to Charlie that the garden was a labor of love, creativity, design, and collaboration with the clients. The dialogue of this garden is found in the vast collection of Japanese maple and sheered European Beech trees. Every perfectly curated, rhythmic view will make your heart sing.
Join us at Landscape Details to experience the garden and watch Lois Bender paint her stunning water colors en plein air! Owner Michael Derrig has created a gem of a garden at this can’t miss tour stop. Known for designing some of the most notable landscape projects on the East End, Landscape Details is a highly regarded firm for creating and maintaining cohesive and beautifully executed modern and traditional landscapes. Lois Bender is a longtime New Yorker whose work is a fresh synthesis of garden, landscape and nature-based themes. Painting the Hamptons’ beautiful gardens has always been an ongoing inspiration for her work and teaching and you can see it first hand at this unique artists oasis.
10 AM PANEL DISCUSSION
“The Living Medium – Garden as a Personal Art Form”
Join Moderator Edwina von Gal in person in the garden of Guild Hall, where she’ll chat with artists, garden owners, and originators Tucker Marder, Eric Freeman, and Lucy Cookson about the conception and creation of their own gardens, farms, and properties. This talented, eclectic, and innovative group will discuss their motivations when making their gardens, and how their approach has, and will continue to evolve in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss. Don’t miss this exciting and informative start to the day! Purchase a Benefactor-level ticket to be invited to attend this private panel in person, as well as an intimate cocktail reception at the seaside estate of Kathy Rayner. The panel will also be live streamed for Garden Lovers ticket holders.
Edwina von Gal is a Principal of her eponymous landscape design firm since 1984. Edwina creates landscapes with a focus on simplicity and sustainability for private and public clients around the world. Her work has been published in many major publications and her book, Fresh Cuts, won the Quill and Trowel Award for garden writing in 1998.
Tucker Marder is an artist working in a wide range of mediums including puppetry, film, and horticulture. Tucker uses humor and absurdity to promote an exuberant environmental ethic, countering pessimistic prevailing trends towards ecological hopelessness. He has exhibited at the National Aviary, Phipps Botanical Garden, and the Store Front for Art and Architecture. Tucker is the founder of the Folly Tree Arboretum, a collection of over 250 rare and unusual trees intent on developing new and engaging environmental storytelling.
Eric Freeman is an artist working in oil on canvas, who is known for his large-scale, abstract compositions. He has shown both nationally and internationally, with exhibitions at Circle Culture in Germany, the Wetterling Gallery in Stockholm, Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki, Alain Noirhomme, Brussels, and the Saatchi Gallery, London and Mary Boone, Stux Gallery and Feature, Inc. in New York. Freeman’s work was recently acquired by the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton and is included in the Saatchi Collection.
Lucy Cookson, a trustee of Guild Hall, is the founder, president, and creative director of Thimbelina Needlework Design and Collection in East Hampton. A graduate of Duke University, she is an artist of watercolor, hand-embellished digital prints, mixed media, and needlework, with several years of K-12 teaching experience. Lucy’s work has been shown in numerous exhibitions and in personal art collections throughout the United States.
Join us for a truly unique and personal glimpse into the artist world, through their eyes!
All events will adhere to state regulations concerning all COVID-19 safety protocols.
Click HERE for tickets.
For questions, please contact Kristen Curcie at kcurcie@guildhall.org or 631-324-0806, ext. 20.