Southampton Arts Center Announces Launch Of The Storefront Art Project

Southampton Arts Center has announced phase two of their Public Art Project, launched this past summer. In these colder months, SAC will work with Southampton Village landlords and property managers with vacant shops to animate their windows with dynamic art installations featuring East End artists.

Inspired by the new legislation by the Village of Southampton requiring window displays in vacant stores, SAC's first Storefront Art Project, with the support of the Long Island Community Foundation and the help of Morley Property Management, will feature artist Alice Hope and her new project "Priceless". The window installation will be on view starting in November for up to 6 months or when the shop is once again occupied, as per the requirements outlined by the Village.

Located in the former Chico's at 8 Jobs Lane, ALICE HOPE: Priceless will be a multimedia art installation made with accordioned chromed coat hangers, paper price tags, and strung can tabs. Of the project, Artist Alice Hope says "While assembling this installation, my query has been: What's priceless? I hope for this unanswered question to be the subject of this installation, my first in a store front. In our commodified world and in this commodified discipline, where value equates success, I'm aspiring to transform tens of thousands of blank price tags, a vast population of ephemera, into evanescence."

The "Big Reveal" of the installation will take place on Thursday, November 5 at 11 AM at 8 Jobs Lane with Artist Alice Hope, Southampton Village Mayor Jesse Warren and Trustees, representatives from the Long Island Community Foundation, and SAC Artistic Director Amy Kirwin and Executive Director Tom Dunn.

"Alice's dynamic work is incredibly eye-catching and beautiful. She is the perfect artist to collaborate with on this first window of the Storefront Art Project. Though we certainly would prefer to see the shops filled with tenants, we are very happy to participate in the beautification of Southampton Village with this and hopefully additional installations." says SAC Artistic Director Amy Kirwin. "We are confident people will be drawn to the Village to stroll through and enjoy the windows, and at the same time do some shopping, dine in the restaurants, and of course our visit our galleries."