LongHouse Reserve Celebrates Its Annual Summer Benefit

Photo Credit: PMC/Sean Zanni

LongHouse Reserve celebrated its annual Summer Benefit honoring the joyful creativity of artist Mary Heilmann and the literary genius of A. M. Homes. Gala Chairs Dianne Benson, Cindy Sherman, and Robert Wilson, Art Chairs Pamela Willoughby and George Negroponte, with LongHouse Board of Trustees, greeted friends and supporters – including Alice Aycock, Candace Bushnell, Rosanne Cash, Renee Cox, Bill T. Jones, Laurie Lambrecht, Sophie Chahinian and Robert Longo, Lisa Perry, and G.E. Smith – to the MidSummer Dream themed evening, full of wonder. Guests entered through the sand dunes, into a whimsical world with pop-up performances including stilt walkers, musicians, dancers, a horse rider, a merman in the pool, trapeze aerialists, and acrobats roaming the gardens, enhancing the sensual space that is LongHouse. The entire 16-acre grounds were open to discovery with art at every turn, including this new works by Wyatt Kahn and Fitzhugh Karol (both in attendance), loans from Daniel Arsham and Ai Weiwei, as well as permanent works by Buckminster Fuller, Sol LeWitt, Yoko Ono and more. The evening raised over $650,000.

Dinner began with a video of the late LongHouse Founder Jack Lenor Larsen walking the gardens sharing “Change involves the new and there’s something magical about the new. Let’s look at what could be done; at what hasn’t been done. How to get away from the ordinary and the conventional, to discover. Let’s do that, even in a small way, and see what we can find.”

Director Carrie Rebora Barratt quoted Eleanor Roosevelt saying “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” as she referenced Jack’s vision for LongHouse. “When I worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I remember Jack visiting from time to time, sitting in our Textile Center, always looking and learning.  He’s created quite a stir, fabulously dressed, so tall, and with that voice. Jack was present and thoughtful, local and global, just like the institution he created that we carry on”.

Board President Nina Gillman said “We continue to learn from Jack, and from LongHouse, a magical place in our community that inspires each of us to live with art in all its forms. Jack was endlessly interested in the new and had a fearless love of change.  He often instructed us ‘to be relevant, not reverent’ once he was gone. Since his passing 2 ½ years ago, we have used these words as our guide. This has been a time of enormous change for LongHouse, from a private residence with grounds open part-time to visitors, led by its founder, to a fully public institution with expanded open days and hours, led by the board and staff.  We have more programming, greater engagement with the community, and more supporters and members than ever before. In this transition, LongHouse is moving from strength to strength. Speaking of strength and beauty, I’d like to toast Dianne Benson and allow us to thank you.  Dianne B, your vision and leadership, and style and grace are beyond compare. We are honored to call you our President Emeritus.”

Laurie Anderson introduced A.M. and shared a few words about her longtime friend, “Some of A.M’s recent work has been about talking trees, and so it’s great that we’re here at Longhouse, a place that treasures trees and is probably pretty open to what trees might have to say if they could talk. I first met A.M. in a tree. It was the early ‘80s after a show in Washington and for some reason, I was outside trying to climb a tree. A.M. just showed up and we started to talk. I immediately saw her as someone who’s intensely interested in where she is at the moment and able to put that into words. Lately, the talking trees are branching out into AI and I’m really happy about that since I think AI is one of the most powerful tools.

A.M. took the stage to share “an odd piece of trivia that I’m sure no one knew when they selected me for this honor. Jack Lenor Larsen has been part of my life since I was 3 days old—literally. In 1960 my parents built a modern glass house at the edge of Rock Creek Park in Washington D.C.. At three days old I was carried through the front door; the first thing I passed was beautiful woven curtains—fabric by Jack, and then I was carried down the hall to my parent’s room and placed on their bed, fabric by Jack, and the drapes in that bedroom, by Jack. My first experiences, my first visions were influenced by Jack. For the entirety of my childhood, I viewed the outside world through the weave of Jack Larsen.”

Photo Credit: PMC/Sean Zanni

Artist Almond Zigmund introduced honoree Mary Hailmann, “One of my favorite people and painters. Mary’s work gives you permission to luxuriate in the now.  I don’t surf but I imagine looking at her work is similar to the experience of catching a perfect wave, where the absolute chaos of the ocean and tranquil sublimity of catching the wave are combined and distilled into a perfect gesture.  That is what Mary’s paintings are to me.”

A Junior Committee – including Emma Wrazej (Chair) and Hilary Cianciolo, Noah Erni, Emma Grayson, Mary Kantor, Robert Ladov, Vivienne Lange, Victoria de Lesseps, Sami Lyons, Owen McGowen, Ben Mitchell, and Morgan Wilkins – hosted the afterparty with cocktails, dessert, and dancing with DJ Amber Valentine until midnight

This years art auction, benefiting education at LongHouse, included works by Annie Albers, Bjorn Amelan, Laurie Anderson, Ross Bleckner, Cyril Christo & Marie Wilkinson, Peter Dayton, Dawn DeDeaux, Michael De Feo, Sally Egbert, Maryam Eisler, Connie Fox, Joe Gaffney, Judy Hudson, Peter Hujar, Anton Perich, Fitzhugh Karol, Mel Kendrick, Laurie Lambrecht, Jeff Muhs, Randy Polumbo, Marcia Resnick, Ugo Rondinone, Cindy Sherman, Kiki Smith, Arlene Slavin, Clintel Steed, Suzannah Wainhouse, David “Mr. StarCity” White, Lucy Wynton, Mark Wilson, and Robert Wilson.

Photo Credit: PMC/Sean Zanni

In the coming days LongHouse will host conversations and book signings with celebrated multidisciplinary artist Michele Oka Doner for her forthcoming book, A Seed Takes Root: A True Story on July 30th, as well as actress Alexandra Auder with her book Don’t Call Me Home: A Memoir on August 13th. Gifted virtuoso pianist and composer Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner will share an evening of enchanting music under the stars in celebration of Jack Larsen’s birthday on August 5th, made possible by the generous support of Barbara Tober.