On Saturday, April 30th, Longhouse Reserve kicked off the Spring season with wine and sunshine at their annual Jubilee Season opening. Garden lovers toured the 16-acre property with a glass of sauvignon blanc or cabernet in hand, while enjoying Master Works, a unique compilation of furnishings plus art-in-craft media hand-curated by founder Jack Lenor Larsen and Wendy Van Deusen, and guest curators James Zemaitis and Sherri Donghia.  An “on-cell” tour guide narrated by Larsen was a highlight feature offered at the event.

Yoko Ono’s Play it by Trust (1966/2011) is an all-white, interactive chessboard that functions as a metaphor for the futility of war and extends the artist’s interest in the expressive potential of chance.  By eliminating the color-based opposition of one side versus another, Ono dooms any attempt to successfully “play” the game beyond a series of initial moves to ultimate failure.  She thus encourages us to consider the aspects of humanity that unite rather than divide.

Toshiko Takaezu worked actively in clay, fiber, and bronze for more than six decades. Influenced by midcentury modernism, her work transformed from functional vessels to abstract sculptural forms and installations. Over the years, she continued to draw on a combination of Eastern and Western techniques and aesthetics. Takaezu’s vertical closed objects became the symbol of her work. Created through a combination of wheel-throwing and hand-building techniques allowing her to grow her vessels vertically, they eased the circular restrictions of the wheel.

The Longhouse Reserve has an endless amount of trees, colors and layers, making it the perfect place to spend a Saturday afternoon with the family. Location: 133 Hands Creek Road
East Hampton. Hours; Now open through October 8th: Wednesday and Saturday, 2-5pm
July and August: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 2-5pm

 − by Sara Goldfarb [photos in this feature by Dawn Watson and Sara Goldfarb]