Guild Hall of East Hampton

09/02/2026

09/01/2026

The LAST KidFEST of the summer season!
September 2, Two Shows

TWO PERFORMANCES:
1 PM TICKETS
4:30 PM TICKETS

Set sail on the adventure of a lifetime with Pirate Song, a whimsical musical puppet show filled with heart, humor, and discovery. In a world where dreams set sail and magic fills the air, Paulette the Pirate Princess and her faithful dog Waffle embark on a journey around the world in search of something truly special, her very own song.

TWO PERFORMANCES: 1 PM TICKETS 4:30 PM TICKETS Set sail on the adventure of a lifetime with Pirate Song, a whimsical musical puppet show filled with heart, humor, and discovery. In...

08/31/2026

NOW ON VIEW
NEVER THE LESS will highlight a lesser-known part of Ross Bleckner’s process, offering new insight into one of the most prolific painters of our time. Bleckner begins by making his own paint and testing it on black paper, where the experimental brushwork often produces striking results. From there, he creates a series of small canvases that gradually increase in scale, leading to the large paintings for which he is best known.

Over decades, this approach has yielded hundreds—if not thousands—of works. Guild Hall presents a selection of these rarely seen studies alongside major large-scale paintings. While rooted in process, the smaller works stand powerfully on their own. Together, they reveal the breadth of Bleckner’s artistic vision, offering an expansive view of his practice across time—an illustrated timeline through painting.

Ross Bleckner emerged as a leading artist in New York during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, creating paintings that explore change, loss, memory, and the human body. A central...

08/31/2026

NOW ON VIEW
This exhibition marks the first major institutional solo presentation of Eric Freeman’s work in the East End, where the artist lived and worked for many years. Freeman’s radiant abstractions transform color into planes of light and pigment that construct space rather than merely depict it. Layers of luminous varnish and saturated tone generate a visual depth that feels structural—at times almost architectural—drawing viewers into fields of color defined by both intensity and calm.

The Volume of Color brings together a selection of paintings alongside a small group of furniture pieces designed by Freeman, revealing a practice shaped by the productive tension between control and emotion, precision and presence. His work enters into quiet dialogue with the legacies of Josef Albers, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, Agnes Martin, Mark Rothko, and James Turrell. Freeman’s subtly modulated surfaces, sleek yet unmistakably hand-painted, balance intellectual rigor with sensory immediacy, collapsing distinctions between painting, object, and environment.

Presented following the artist’s death in 2021, the exhibition honors Freeman’s sustained contribution to contemporary abstraction and affirms his lasting connection to the East End’s artistic landscape, where his work quietly expanded the possibilities of color, light, and spatial experience.

This exhibition is co-curated by artist Nathan Dilworth and Melanie Crader, museum director and curator of visual arts with support from Brianna Hernández, museum registrar and Claire Hunter, museum coordinator and curatorial associate.

GALLERY HOURS:
WEDNESDAY TO SUNDAY, 12-5 PM from August 9-September 6
THURSDAY TO SUNDAY, 12-5 PM from September 10-October 27

NEW: Third Thursdays! On the third Thursday of every month from May through September, galleries will stay open until 7:30 PM, and will include live music in the garden and exhibition-related programs to follow.

MUSEUM ADMISSION:
$12 / $10 for Seniors, 65+
Free for Members, Children, and Students

This exhibition marks the first major institutional solo presentation of Eric Freeman’s work in the East End, where the artist lived and worked for many years. Freeman’s radiant abstractions transform...

08/19/2026

COMEDY: George Civeris & Friends - Jake Cornell, Liza Treyger & Julia Shiplett Join New York-based writer, performer, and StraightioLab co-host George Civeris—whose debut special A Sense of Urgency was named among The New York Times’ Best Comedy of 2025—as he hosts an evening of stand-up featuring some of today’s funniest comedians.
Curated and emceed by Civeris, the lineup includes Liza Treyger, whose critically acclaimed debut hour Night Owl premiered on Netflix in 2025; Julia Shiplett, a Comedy Central Up Next comedian, TBS Comic to Watch, and Vulture Comedian You Should Know, with appearances on Overcompensating, High Maintenance, and Love Life; and Jake Cornell, a Brooklyn-based comedian, actor, and writer who has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, Joe’s Pub, and the Gramercy Theatre, with work featured in Vogue and The Washington Post.
Together, these four distinct comedic voices deliver an evening packed with fresh perspectives, unexpected turns, and laugh-out-loud moments. Expect sharp observations, surreal detours, big swings, and even bigger laughs as Civeris guides audiences through a showcase of standout New York comedy talent.

08/19/2026

Ross Bleckner: NEVER THE LESS
Now on view at Guild Hall
Ross Bleckner emerged as a leading artist in New York during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, creating paintings that explore change, loss, memory, and the human body. A central figure in the decade’s revival of painting, he developed a practice that merges psychological, social, and political themes within a strong conceptual framework. In 1995, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York presented a mid-career retrospective of his work, underscoring his importance in contemporary art.

NEVER THE LESS will highlight a lesser-known part of Bleckner’s process, offering new insight into one of the most prolific painters of our time. Bleckner begins by making his own paint and testing it on black paper, where the experimental brushwork often produces striking results. From there, he creates a series of small canvases that gradually increase in scale, leading to the large paintings for which he is best known.

Over decades, this approach has yielded hundreds—if not thousands—of works. Guild Hall presents a selection of these rarely seen studies alongside major large-scale paintings. While rooted in process, the smaller works stand powerfully on their own. Together, they reveal the breadth of Bleckner’s artistic vision, offering an expansive view of his practice across time—an illustrated timeline through painting.

This exhibition is organized by Melanie Crader, museum director and curator of visual arts, with support from Philippa Content, museum manager and registrar and Claire Hunter, museum coordinator and curatorial associate.

GALLERY HOURS:
WEDNESDAY TO SUNDAY, 12-5 PM from August 9-September 6
THURSDAY TO SUNDAY, 12-5 PM from September 10-October 27

NEW: Third Thursdays! On the third Thursday of every month from May through September, galleries will stay open until 7:30 PM, and will include live music in the garden and exhibition-related programs to follow.

MUSEUM ADMISSION:
$12 / $10 for Seniors, 65+
Free for Members, Children, and Students

Coinciding Ross Bleckner exhibitions at The Madoo Conservancy and Guild Hall in the Hamptons celebrate the power of artistic freedom

08/17/2026

Stirring the Pot: Florence Fabricant—Salty, Not Sweet
with James Barron. August 30 at 11 AM

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 reserve copies of her new book, to be released on October 6. Book plates will be signed by Florence for those who order the book.

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...

08/16/2026

COMEDY: SUNDAY, AUGUST 30 at 7 PM
Join New York-based writer, performer, and StraightioLab co-host George Civeris—whose debut special A Sense of Urgency was named among The New York Times’ Best Comedy of 2025—as he hosts an evening of stand-up featuring some of today’s funniest comedians.

Curated and emceed by Civeris, the lineup includes Liza Treyger, whose critically acclaimed debut hour Night Owl premiered on Netflix in 2025; Julia Shiplett, a Comedy Central Up Next comedian, TBS Comic to Watch, and Vulture Comedian You Should Know, with appearances on Overcompensating, High Maintenance, and Love Life; and Jake Cornell, a Brooklyn-based comedian, actor, and writer who has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, Joe’s Pub, and the Gramercy Theatre, with work featured in Vogue and The Washington Post.

Together, these four distinct comedic voices deliver an evening packed with fresh perspectives, unexpected turns, and laugh-out-loud moments. Expect sharp observations, surreal detours, big swings, and even bigger laughs as Civeris guides audiences through a showcase of standout New York comedy talent.

Join New York-based writer, performer, and StraightioLab co-host George Civeris—whose debut special A Sense of Urgency was named among The New York Times’ Best Comedy of 2025—as he hosts an evening of stand-up featuring some of...

08/16/2026

There are artists whose work changes the way you see art—and artists whose work changes the way you see the world around you. Mary Heilmann did both.

Today we pause to remember our friend Mary, an important and deeply influential artist whose work has been an essential part of the art world.

Heilmann was a singular figure in American art, known for her paintings, ceramics, furniture, and works on paper—and for a practice that brought together abstraction, color, geometry, humor, and the everyday.

For Guild Hall, it was a privilege to celebrate Mary’s extraordinary connection to the East End last summer with Mary Heilmann: Water Way, her first large-scale solo institutional exhibition on Long Island. Bringing together more than 40 works spanning the 1980s to the present, the exhibition reflected the profound influence that a life lived near the water has had on her practice.

We feel fortunate to have had Mary as part of Guild Hall’s history and of the larger artistic community here. Her work remains a lasting part of the visual landscape, and her warm presence will be deeply missed.

Mary Heilmann, January 3, 1940–August 14, 2026. 🩷

📸
At the opening of Mary Heilmann: Water Way. Photos by Jessica Dalene
At the 2025 Summer Gala. Photos by Patrick McMullan
Posing with her limited edition Guild Hall bag. Photo courtesy of Mary Heilmann Studio’s Instagram.
Mary Heilmann: Water Way installation photos: Francine Fleischer
In her Bridgehampton studio. Photo: Philip Mauro
At the opening of “90 Years: Selections from the Permanent Collection” in 2021. Photo: Jessica Dalene
In her studio in the 1970s. Photo: Mark Magill

08/06/2026

August 16 at 7PM
Starring Dan Bucatinsky, Danny Burstein, Debra Monk & David Hyde Pierce

As Better Late opens, composer Lee Baer (Danny Burstein) is forced by his wife, Nora (Debra Monk), to take in her ex-husband, Julian (David Hyde Pierce), after he suffers a stroke. Tension mounts as Julian’s presence makes it increasingly difficult for Lee to write, while long-simmering family dynamics come to the surface. Matters become even more complicated when Julian and Nora’s son, Billy (Dan Bucatinsky), reveals he is navigating a divorce of his own. How long will Julian stay—and how long before Lee finally cracks?

Directed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman, this biting December-December romance is a witty, heartfelt comedy about love, family, and the unexpected ways life keeps rewriting the script.
A Comedic Play by Larry Gelbart
Staged Reading directed by Susan Stroman
Better Late is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.

A Comedic Play by Larry Gelbart Staged Reading directed by Susan Stroman Starring Dan Bucatinsky, Danny Burstein, Debra Monk & David Hyde Pierce As Better Late opens, composer Lee Baer (Danny Burstein)...