A LABORATORY, 100 YEARS OF EXPERIMENTATION: THE WATERMILL CENTER ANNUAL SUMMER BENEFIT

32nd Anniversary Celebration

THE WATERMILL CENTER
39 Water Mill Towd Road, Water Mill, NY 11976

SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2024
6:00 – 10:00 PM EST

presented by
VAN CLEEF & ARPELS

honoring
LUCINDA CHILDS

This year’s Watermill Center Gala celebrated the 100th anniversary of the building as a laboratory for experimentation. Over 600 guests experienced performances, installations, and exhibitions that honored the legacy of The Watermill Center’s past innovation and inspired future experimentation and creation.

“THE REASON I WORK, AND THE REASON WE WORK AS ARTISTS, IS TO SAY, ‘WHAT IS IT?’ AND IF YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS YOU’RE DOING, THERE’S NO REASON TO DO IT!” – ROBERT WILSON | FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE WATERMILL CENTER | ON EXPERIMENTATION

Lucinda Childs and Robert Wilson began working together in 1976 on the iconic opera Einstein on the Beach. This year’s benefit recreated their ongoing creative partnership and immersed visitors in dozens of performances that re-staged Lucinda Childs’s foundational early works. Pastime (1963), Carnation (1964), and Katema (1978) featured the artist’s niece, Ruth Childs. Untitled Trio (1968) and Radial Courses (1976) were presented with Lucinda Childs’s longtime collaborator Ty Boomershine, Artistic Director of the Dance On Ensemble.

Dance at The Watermill Center is made possible with lead support from Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels

The summer gala introduced an installation of 11 works created by Gideon Appah while in residence at Watermill. Gideon’s work combines vibrant colors and dreamlike imagery to explore themes of memory, culture, and identity. Gideon Appah is the recipient of a 2024 Visual Arts Fellowship at The Watermill Center in partnership with Pace Gallery and Mitchell-Innes & Nash.

“IT IS A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO BE INVITED TO A GLOBAL COMMUNITY OF DREAMERS.” – ADELINA LARSSON MENDOZA | 2024 ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE | AUSTRALIA

Featured artists included Adelina Larsson Mendoza (Australia) Alex Bard (United States) Alicja Kwade (Poland) Alen Nsambu (Finland) Amon Wendel (Germany) Chloé Bellemere (France) Christopher Knowles (United States) CocoRosie (United States) Dai Asano (Japan) Elena Meoni (Italy) Gideon Appah (Ghana) Inga Galinyte (Lithuania) I.U.D. (United States) Liz Magic Laser (United States) Lucinda Childs (United States) Marianna Kavallieratos (Greece) Mykki Blanco (United States) Mylan Hoezen (Netherlands) Noémie Stevens (France) Robson Catalunha (Brazil) Ruth Childs (United States) Simona Kust (Sweden) Tez (France) Truth Colón (United States).

PHOTOS BY MARIA BARANOVA