Betty Pupke, Community Club President, with our speaker Helen A. Harrison, Joan Kuster, who introduced Ms. Harrison and Rosemary McCarthy, chairman of General Program. Members and guests of the Community Club of Garden City and Hempstead who attended the November 3rd General Program at the Garden City Casino were treated to a delightful and informative lecture/slide show presented by noted author and art historian Helen A. Harrison, Director of the Pollack-Krasner House, and Study Center in East Hampton, entitled “Hampton Bohemia - from Jackson Pollack and Lee Krasner to the Artists of Today.” Ms. Harrison has been an art reviewer and featured writer for the Long Island secton of the New York Times since 1978 and is former curator of both the Parrish Art Museum and Guild Hall in the Hamptons. She is co-author, along with Constance Ayers Denne, of the recently published book, “Hamptons Bohemia - Two Centuries Of Artists And Writers On the Beach.”

Helen Harrison Autographs a copy of her book, “Hamptons Bohemia” for Mary Kavazanjian. For more than two centuries, The Hamptons, our beach resort at the southeastern end of Long Island, has been a refuge for artists fleeing the stifling heat and crowds of the city and, in the case of artists emigrating from Europe, the horrors of war. Artists she said have an affinity for one another, they are stimulated by each other and tend to gather in colonies, “where they can love and hate each other most conveniently.” The Hamptons we were told, drew them together, not only because of the exquisite natural beauty it offered - the sparkling sea and bay, the beautiful meadows and forests, the spectacular light such as inspired the Impressionists, but also for its proximity to New York City, which was readily accessible by road, rail and air.

Helen Harrison and Joan Kuster, both Adelphi Alumni, with Mary Ann Mearini, Director of alumni relations at the university. In her lecture, Ms. Harrison, gave us a survey of artistic activity on the East End of Long Island from its earliest recorded times up to the present and presented slides of the art work, its beauty inspired. In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, known as the American Barbizon period, the artists who trekked to the Hamptons included Thomas Moran, William Merritt and Childe Hassam. World War II brought an influx of modern European artists such as Max Ernst, Andre Breton, Fernand Leger, Marcel Duchamp and Piet Mondrian. New York City and especially the Hampton’s became a refuge for these artists fleeing Nazi persecution and art collectors and patrons, such as Peggy Guggenheim, played host to the expatriates. Surrealism became a popular style of art at this time - the world was turned upside down and artists dreamed and put these dreams on canvas. Jackson Pollock and his wife Lee Krasner came to the Hamptons in the 1940’s and were followed by fellow Abstract Expressionists Robert Motherwell and William de Kooning. In the 50’s they were joined by Larry Rivers, Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenburg. Pop Art was the “in” style of the 60’s and no one personified it more than artists Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein and their cartoonish paintings. Jim Dine painted his, “Long Island’s Landscape,” a 96 x 162 inch oil and collage canvas 1964 and Dan Flavin created dazzling compositions of pure luminosity using fluorescent light fixtures at the same time. Chuck Close, well known for his innovative portraits arrived in the Hamptons in 1975, Ray Johnson and Robert Dash in the 80’s. Today, more than fifty galleries in the Hamptons showcase the work of contemporary artists such as April Gornick. Eric Fisch, Ross Bleckner and Linda Benglis. Though the style of painting through the years differed dramatically, the inspiration was always the same - the exquisite beauty of the land, sea and sky offered by the Hamptons, and the way each individual artist interpreted this beauty. We are so grateful to Ms. Harrison for taking us on this unique tour of a very special part of our island and sharing her artistic knowledge and perspective with us.

Once again, we must thank all the members of the Community Club who helped to make this program such a success, especially Rosemary McCarthy and Joan Kuster and the members of the General Program committee for providing us with such a delightful and interesting speaker; Ruth Lacy and Phyllis Dima and their committees who greeted members and guests at the door and made them feel welcome; Pat Dalton who took care of General Arrangements; Ruth La Bosco and the gracious ladies from the Hospitality Committee who served refreshments at the tea hour; Grace Murphy for her beautiful table decorations, and Bea Mercadante for the delicious lunch served to the speaker prior to the program.

The Community Club offers a wide variety of quality programs, trips and creative art classes from October thru May. For more information on this interesting club and how you can become a member please call our office at 746-0488 on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.