Guild Hall Announces Claire Watson, Top Honors Winner @ 84th Artist Members Exhibition | Artworks for Sale

October 30, 2023 — East Hampton, NY: The 84^th Artist Members Exhibition and Mary Boochever: Chart of the Inner Warp opened at Guild Hall (158 Main Street, East Hampton) on Saturday, October 28, with a members-only reception. Earlier in the day, Awards Juror Virginia Lebermann, Ballroom Marfa Co-Founder & Board President, selected Claire Watson as the Top Honors recipient. 

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Left: 2023 Artist Members Exhibition Top Honors Winner, Claire Watson, beneath her work, Bye Gone; Courtesy of Guild Hall. Photo: Rossa Cole
Right: Virginia Lebermann, Andrea Grover, and Melanie Crader; Courtesy of Guild Hall Photo: Rossa Cole 

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Claire Watson’s Bye Gone, 2023, is constructed of pattern parts of leather pants, leather remnants, thread, canvas, and gesso. Watson’s work encompasses drawing, sculpture, and mixed-media constructions from found materials. Her recent work is based on shapes found in salvaged, disassembled leather clothing made with traditional sewing and self-taught tailoring techniques.

In addition to the Top Honors prize, Lebermann awarded Honorable Mentions to Michael Butler for his acrylic painting The Pepperidge Tree, Philippe Cheng for an untitled work on sandpaper with archival inks, Isla Hansen for her mixed-media Hand Tools (or Tools for No Masters) made of stainless steel, thermoplastic and shown on wood, Mary Margaret Lambert for her oil and charcoal Revenant, and Chris Siefert for his mixed-media Rib. Robert Longo received a Juror’s Special Award for Untitled (After Cave Painting in Lascaux).

“I’m excited by all the potential brewing at the newly refurbished Guild Hall,” shared Awards Juror Virginia Lebermann. “The fertile history of this multi-disciplinary institution is being ushered forward with respect and style by its current Director, Andrea Grover and Director of Visual Arts, Melanie Crader. Being a juror for the Artist Members Exhibition was a beautiful introduction to the dedicated community surrounding this illustrious East End Institution. I’m looking forward to many years of engagement in visual art, performance and education at Guild Hall.”

Since its inception, the Artist Members Exhibition has supported artists and Guild Hall by offering the works on view for purchase, with proceeds split evenly between the two. Works in all forms of media, from painting to sculpture, can be found on Guild Hall’s Shopify page, with prices ranging from $125 to $14,000.

The Artist Members Exhibition began in 1938, and Guild Hall continues this long-standing, democratic tradition as the oldest non-juried museum exhibition on Long Island. This year’s presentation features over 300 works and showcases a variety of media. As with the concept of the Salon, established artists are exhibited alongside emerging talent and first-time exhibitors, offering a glimpse of artistic practices within our community. This initiative allows audiences to support and celebrate the artists who live and work in our immediate region. Early AME participants included James Brooks, Lee Krasner, Willem de Kooning, Alfonso Ossorio, Charlotte Park, Jackson Pollock, and more.

In addition to the Artist Members Exhibition, which is presented in the Marks Family Galleries North and South, 2019 Top Honors winner Mary Boochever’s Chart of the Inner Warp can be viewed in the Tito Spiga Exhibition Space. Boochever was chosen by former MoMA PS1 Associate Curator Jocelyn Miller. Deeply rooted in research and investigations of color systems, Boochever creates color experiences for the viewer through her paintings, sculptures, and installations.

Both exhibitions are open through January 8, 2024. Galleries are open Friday to Monday, 12-5 PM. Museum admission is always free. A series of Lunch Break discussions and Creative Labs will be presented throughout the run of the exhibitions, featuring topics inspired by works on view and future projects.

To learn more about these exhibitions and related programming, visit guildhall.org/events.