At Christie’s modernist Midtown headquarters, LongHouse Reserve stepped into new educational territory, hosting an inaugural Larsen Lecture with architect and designer Kulapat Yantrasast of WHY Architects.
The event, the first in a series that will bring new educational value to East Hampton’s most essential open-air museum, was introduced by Christieโs Deputy Chairman John Hays, who toasted the director of LongHouse Reserve, Carrie Barrett, calling her “a curator who is so great to all of us in the American field.โ
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 15: Alexandra Munroe attends LongHouse Reserve Inaugural Larsen Lecture at Christie’s on March 15, 2023 in New York. (Photo by Patrick McMullan/PMC) *** Local Caption *** Alexandra Munroe
The eveningโs speaker, Kulapat Yantrasast, was introduced by Alexandra Munroe, director of Curatorial Affairs at the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and a LongHouse board member. Munroe speaks with a uniquely intimate and educated tone- you cling to every word. She elevated the guest of honor to a tantalizingly high place of reverence before drawing him in to take over.
Yantrasast discussed the traditions of Ise, the Shinto shrine that inspired LongHouse, and explained his own work and theoretical challenges. He compared building a museum (the primary work of his firm) to a choice between a peacock or an octopus, explaining that museums should be more like octopuses, with different parts, such as the coffee shop, auditorium, and gallery, operating independently. Kulapat summarized the lessons learned from Jack Larsen and Ise, stating that โinclusivity, sustainability, and evolutionโ are key to maintaining a creative approach to life.
LongHouse Reserve is a 16-acre sculpture garden and natural sanctuary located in East Hampton, NY, which is open to the public from April to December, displaying as many as 60 works of art including sculptures by Buckminster Fuller, Yoko Ono, and Willem de Kooning.
LongHouse president Nina Gillman, president emerita Dianne Benson, board members, and other notable guests including Abby Bangser, Ted Farris, Marina Kellen French, Emily Powers, and Faith Popcorn were present at an event that amounted to a reunion of the who’s-who in the global art world.
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 15: Ingrid Simmons George and Derick George attend LongHouse Reserve Inaugural Larsen Lecture at Christie’s on March 15, 2023 in New York. (Photo by Patrick McMullan/PMC/PMC) *** Local Caption *** Ingrid Simmons George;Derick George
As for LongHouse, the ongoing lecture series will continue to benefit the Reserve and the gardens will continue to serve as a living case study of the interaction between plants and people in the 21st century.
LongHouse’s goal is to expand the imagination and appeal to visitors of all ages, with an education program providing students with docent-led school tours, online materials, internship activities, family-activity guides, and the LongHouse Scholarship Award. For more information see: https://longhouse.org
