Join David Breslin, Leonard A. Lauder Curator in Charge of Modern and Contemporary Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, for a conversation about the upcoming exhibition he co-curated, Krasner and Pollock: Past Continuous, opening at The Met on October 4, 2026. The exhibition spotlights Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner, two artists with deep ties to the East End, and considers the parallel yet distinct breakthroughs that followed their move to Springs in 1945. Pollock and Krasner shared a long relationship with Guild Hall and in 1981, Guild Hall presented Krasner/Pollock: A Working Relationship, guest curated by Barbara Rose—an art historian, professor, critic, and biographer who organized the first major Lee Krasner retrospective in the mid-1980s.
The popular series kicks off its 15th year with Padma Lakshmi, the Emmy-nominated producer, television creator/host of CBS’s America’s Culinary Cup, food expert, New York Times best-selling author, and one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. Padma will sit down with Florence to discuss her 2025 book, Padma’s All American—Tales, Travels, and Recipes from Taste the Nation and Beyond: A Cookbook. This very personal book is the result of seven years of traveling, tasting, listening, and observing.
Doors will open at 10 AM for a pre-show continental breakfast courtesy of Citarella. A book signing will follow in the lobby.
Rush Tickets: A limited number of $25 rush tickets will be on sale for this performance, starting 20 minutes before the program begins, in person only, subject to availability. Customers will be instructed to line up outside no earlier than 45 minutes before the start of the show in order to access rush tickets, which are max 2 per customer.
Co-Presented by The Matthiessen Center & Guild Hall
Renowned marine biologist, undersea explorer, and founder of Mission Blue, Dr. Sylvia Earle explores the power of writing to illuminate what we know—and don’t know—about the ocean, where the vast majority of life remains unseen. She highlights collaborative restoration efforts with the Shinnecock Bay Hope Spot, including Dr. Ellen Pikitch and the Indigenous Advisory Council. The bay’s designation as a Mission Blue Hope Spot signifies much more than scientific research and restoration; Hope Spots recognize a water body’s cultural, recreational, and traditional importance. Shinnecock Bay is integral to the local Indigenous community and holds great cultural, ecological, and spiritual value.
Joined by Dr. Carl Safina, marine ecologist, author, and founder of The Safina Center, she reflects on this pivotal moment for understanding our place in the ocean’s intricate web of life.
Presented by The Peter Matthiessen Center & Guild Hall
We live in a culture that rarely questions growth. Expansion—of markets, wealth, productivity, even the self—is often treated not only as an economic goal, but as a moral good. But what happens when growth begins to function as a belief system? What, in this framework, do we worship—and what do we lose?
Moderated by writer and editor Nina Channing, this conversation brings together three acclaimed thinkers whose work examines the values shaping contemporary life. Journalist and author Audrea Lim, whose writing explores climate change, labor, migration, and movements for social and environmental justice, considers how communities imagine more equitable and sustainable futures. Novelist and cultural critic Tara Isabella Burton, author of Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World, investigates the new forms of belief, identity, ritual, and belonging that emerge in an increasingly secular and consumer-driven culture. Psychoanalyst and author Jamieson Webster brings a psychoanalytic lens to questions of desire, freedom, anxiety, and the psychological underpinnings of modern life.
Drawing on the work of writer, social justice advocate, and Zen priest Peter Matthiessen, the discussion explores alternatives to a culture organized around accumulation and endless expansion, asking how literature, environmental thought, and psychoanalysis might help us imagine different ways of living.
Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award–winning composer and lyricist Marc Shaiman comes to Guild Hall to celebrate his New York Times bestselling memoir, Never Mind the Happy: Showbiz Stories from a Sore Winner. Known for his acclaimed work across Broadway, film, and television—including Hairspray, Mary Poppins Returns, and numerous other beloved productions—Shaiman reflects on a remarkable five-decade career defined by collaboration, creativity, and resilience.
In conversation with Tony Award–winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman, Shaiman offers an intimate look at the artists, influences, and experiences that have shaped his singular voice. By turns candid, humorous, and deeply personal, the evening draws from the memoir while exploring the triumphs, challenges, and unforgettable moments behind a life in show business.
The event also features a special performance by Tony Award nominee Robyn Hurder. Hurder, Stroman, and Shaiman most recently collaborated on Broadway’s SMASH, bringing together three of musical theater’s most celebrated talents. Together, they create an evening of conversation, storytelling, and song that celebrates the enduring power of collaboration and the art of making great entertainment.
The evening concludes with a surprise musical finale featuring students from South Fork Performing Arts, joining Shaiman and guests onstage for a joyful celebration of the next generation of performers and the enduring magic of musical theater.
A book signing with Marc Shaiman will follow the program in the lobby, and copies of Never Mind the Happy will be available for purchase on site.
Rush Tickets: A limited number of $25 rush tickets will be on sale for this performance, starting 20 minutes before the program begins, in person only, subject to availability. Customers will be instructed to line up outside no earlier than 45 minutes before the start of the show in order to access rush tickets, which are max 2 per customer. Seating assignments are at the discretion of the box office.
Listen to Marc’s interview with Gianna Volpe on NPR’s Heart of the East End.
Is your lawn harming you, your kids, and your pets?
Join experts Dr. Ray Dorsey, Dr. Sarah Evans, Dr. Carl Safina, and Perfect Earth Project founder and landscape designer Edwina von Gal for an enlightened conversation on the dangers lurking in your yard from common landscape chemicals and the health effects on you, your children, and your pets. Yes, you can have beauty without the beast!
The first 100 people who purchase a ticket will receive a copy of Dr. Ray Dorsey’s The Parkinson’s Plan.
Stirring the Pot: Florence Fabricant—Salty, Not Sweet
with James Barron
Guild Hall turns the tables for a special Stirring the Pot with Florence Fabricant as the guest of honor, celebrating her forthcoming memoir, Salty, Not Sweet: A Life in the Food World, published by Running Press of Hachette Book Group with an October release. Interviewed by New York Times writer James Barron, Fabricant will reflect on the many decades of her life and her remarkable career, defined by an insatiable search for new dining experiences. She will trace the evolution of food and restaurant culture in the United States and abroad, share behind-the-scenes stories from her reporting, and reveal the personalities, trends, and turning points she helped bring to the public’s attention.
The morning begins with a complimentary continental breakfast at 10 AM courtesy of Citarella, offering guests a delicious start before this engaging and flavorful conversation with one of food writing’s most influential voices. Following the program, guests can meet Florence in the lobby and secure advance copies of her new book.
Stirring the Pot: Russ & Daughters—Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper
Join Florence Fabricant at Guild Hall for an irresistible edition of Stirring the Pot featuring Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper, fourth-generation owners of Russ & Daughters. They’ll share stories from their family’s legendary Lower East Side appetizing shop, tracing a century of smoked fish, bagels, and New York food culture, and discuss their new book, Russ & Daughters: 100 Years of Appetizing. Following the conversation, guests are invited to a special book signing—an opportunity to meet the authors and take home a signed copy.
A must-attend for food lovers, home cooks, and anyone who savors the traditions that define New York’s culinary heritage. And make sure to grab a complimentary black & white cookie on your way out!
A complimentary breakfast will be served before the program starting at 10 AM.
In 1907, a Jewish immigrant named Joel Russ landed in New York City, where he took a pushcart of herring and built a legacy that would pass down through fathers and daughters (and sons and husbands and wives) for more than a hundred years. Four generations later, the ancestral heart of Russ & Daughters continues to bustle on the Lower East Side, with three more locations throughout the city.
Over the course of a century, Russ & Daughters has fed hundreds of thousands of customers, many considering a visit to the original shop on East Houston a family tradition, weekly ritual, or New York experience. Now, for the first time, Russ & Daughters brings its world-famous institution into readers’ homes with RUSS & DAUGHTERS: 100 Years of Appetizing. Its rich history is told through insider anecdotes from the family and characters on both sides of the counter; illuminating guides to its most famed offerings—smoked salmon, sable, sturgeon, herring, and caviar; and more than 100 cherished recipes for favorite foods like latkes, matzo ball soup, babka, and bagels among many others.
Nothing can ever replace the experience of taking a number, kibbitzing with a slicer, waiting in line, and ordering your whitefish or belly lox. Yet this book captures some of that infectious Russ & Daughters appetizing spirit, and most importantly, brings families and friends together around the table.
Join Florence Fabricant as she sits down with acclaimed chef, restaurateur, and author Kwame Onwuachi for an illuminating conversation about his remarkable culinary journey. A James Beard Award winner, Onwuachi is the chef and partner behind Tatiana in New York City—one of the most celebrated restaurants in the country—as well as Dōgon and Patty Palace by Chef Kwame, each reflecting his bold, globally inspired approach to flavor and storytelling through food.
Born in the Bronx and raised between New York, Nigeria, and Louisiana, his cooking draws on Afro-Caribbean, West African, and American traditions that shape his personal history and are defining trends for today’s dining. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and author of the bestselling memoir Notes from a Young Black Chef, Onwuachi brings candor, creativity, and cultural insight to the table.
Enjoy a pre-show continental breakfast at 10 AM, courtesy of Citarella, before this inspiring morning of conversation, culture, and cuisine. The talk will be followed by a book signing in the lobby, and books can be purchased in advance or on site.
Book Launch Alice Baber: An Artist’s Triumph Over Tragedy
by Gail Levin
Join us for a book launch celebrating Alice Baber: An Artist’s Triumph Over Tragedy by art historian and artist biographer Gail Levin. This new biography revisits the life and work of Alice Baber, an abstract painter known for luminous fields of color that seem to float and shift with light. During her lifetime, Baber’s work entered major museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, the Whitney, and the permanent collection of Guild Hall, before her premature death at just fifty-four. Levin draws on extensive research to trace Baber’s artistic development, her place in the mid-century art world, and the forces that contributed to her later obscurity. More than a portrait of an individual artist, the book offers a needed reappraisal, restoring Baber to the history of American modernism and introducing her work to a new generation.
