Continuing The Church's series of writers' spoken word, now called WORD, we invited you to join us for the second iteration, WORD: On Transformation, this summer. The Inaugural program in February 2023, Love is a Verb, offered vibrant, wide-ranging readings to a standing-room-only audience.

WORD features writers, storytellers, and performers. July Writers included: The Reverend Holly Haile Thompson, Candace Hill, Pacifique Irankunda, Kristen Santori, and Ella Engel-Snow. Matauqus Tarrant, Native Artist and Educator of Shinnecock, Hopi, and Ho-Chunck, opened the program with a flute performance.

Reflecting on the program's theme, Irankunda provided a quote from Good Prose, where authors Richard Todd and Tracy Kidder discuss Irankunda's essays and write, "For the writer, the ultimate reward of memoir may be to produce a work in which the facts are preserved, the experience is transformed."

When speaking on Juy's theme being transformation, the program's curator, Talena Mascali, stated, "We're inviting writers to engage with the enormous, trepidatious theme of transformation. What I find most interesting is that transformation is ongoing, sometimes imperceptible, sometimes dramatic, and often recognized when change is visible. For me, the underbelly, the heart of the storm, the long road with no end in sight, is where transformation lives. It's in leaving the comfort of your current self, often with no choice, forced to discover whom you can become."

The evening explored the written word in varied forms: poetry, prose, fiction, essays, spoken word, etc. Concluding with a casual and intimate conversation engendering a lively dialogue between the presenters and the people present. At The Church, one of our core missions is to honor Sag Harbor as the Maker Village; the WORD series is meant to honor Sag Harbor as a welcoming home for artists, writers, and creatives while celebrating the power and range of the written and spoken word. The reading was held in The Church's Studio/Ground Floor, with café table seats , regular seating, and light refreshments.

“When I felt tears streaming down, I wiped my eyes and repeated to myself what I heard the adults say, that the tears of a man flow inward.“ The Church’s July writer-in-residence, author Pacifique Irankunda spoke on his work, The Tears of a Man Flow Inward: Growing Up in the Civil War in Burundi, published by Random House in March of 2022.

Written in lyrical prose, The Tears of a Man Flow Inward draws on Irankunda’s childhood memories and those of his family during the thirteen-year civil war in his native country of Burundi. As a young boy, Irankunda hid in the tall grass from military units as his young eyes watched the grueling warfare destroy his home, upend his family, and devastate his country’s beautiful culture. Through Irankunda’s song-like writing, readers are given a rare look into what it means to come of age in dark times, and how light can be found even in the midst of violence. Following Irankunda’s reading/discussion there was a Q&A and book signing.

Participants met at The Church for a live podcast recording of ‘She Pivots’ featuring entrepreneur and cosmetics mogul Bobbi Brown interviewed by Emily Tisch Sussman. Bobbi is a sought-after makeup artist whose signature natural beauty aesthetic revolutionized the beauty industry. She became a household name when in 1991, she launched Bobbi Brown Cosmetics and built it into a global billion-dollar brand. Now, Bobbi is doing it all over again with her new beauty brand, Jones Road Beauty. Emily Tisch Sussman is the host of ‘She Pivots,’ a women’s empowerment and family policy advocate, and contributing editor to Marie Claire Magazine.

Sussman will interview Brown live at The Church exploring the central theme of ‘She Pivots’: in-depth dialogues with powerhouse women who share their stories and how their life pivots have ultimately led to their success. In partnership with Marie Claire, ‘She Pivots’ challenges the typical definitions of success and explores the role our personal stories play in our professional journeys.

Multidisciplinary artist Zöe Buckman spoke on her work including Champion, 2016, one of the many featured works in The Church’s summer exhibition, Strike Fast, Dance Lightly: Artists on Boxing. Buckman’s art practices incorporate sculpture, textiles, ceramics, photography, and large-scale public installations. Her work explores identity, trauma, and gendered violence, challenging the prepossessed notions of vulnerability and strength.

Hamptons Jazz Fest continued its concert series at The Church with vocalist/composer Sarah Elizabeth Charles joined by her Quintet. Having released three critically acclaimed albums with her band, SCOPE, Charles is on the rise and her music has been described as “soulfully articulate” by the New York Times and “an unmatched sound” by Jay Z’s Life+Times. Charles recently released her band’s fourth album, “Blank Canvas” and is embarking upon a plethora of creative endeavors, all while challenging the industry's boundaries with her one-of-a-kind music. Charles’ intricate multi-tracked vocals are overlayed with echoes and effects that fill the sonic space emphasizing the songs’ themes of self-love and living with intention.

The Church loves to dance – and we know that you do too!

JUT DANCE, a straight up, good times, great vibes bi-monthly dance party, came back in July!
We were over the moon to welcome back the one and only DJ Mister Lama; a legendary discologist and one-man jam machine known far and wide. Mister Lama played popular hits from the 70s to today and was more than happy to take requests!

A casual, cool, inclusive atmosphere for all ages looking to let loose and shake it off, JUST DANCE welcomed guest to the dance floor and offered concessions for purchase. In celebration of the summer season, we featured a non-alcoholic spirit bar, courtesy of Aplós –– Non-Alcoholic Spirit, a better way to unwind!

Mary Jane Marcasiano kicked off our first Knowledge Friday of the Summer! Marcasiano's creative career spans over 40 years; from 80's Soho fashion designer to today's collaborations with performing artists. A known style icon, Marcasiano is a community mainstay due to her work in costume design, fashion, and textiles as well as her interest in culture and institutional change. Marcasiano discussed the process of being a designer and using her "cultural antennae" to stay relevant, and how the process of reinvention continues to invigorate her life and her creativity.



Having established her design company in 1977, Marcasiano currently focuses her design work on costumes for dance, film, theater, and for GRAMMY award-winning singer Angelique Kidjo. Along with design, Marcasiano has a passion for activism and philanthropy, in 2007, she created the made with Love Project, dedicated to supporting women's crafts and children's aid programs in Brazil and Africa. Currently, Marcasiano serves as Director of Strategic Partnerships to Cinema Tropical, a non-profit promoting Latin American cinema in the US, and as Director of Development to IMPACT Repertory Theater, a program for under-resourced youth in Harlem.

American sports journalist and former Sports and City columnist for The New York Times, Robert Lipsyte, was in conversation with Chief Curator Sara Cochran to discuss the sport (and art) of boxing. Having covered boxing for the NYT during the Muhammad Ali era, Lipsyte came prepped with an impressive perspective and knowledge on boxing. Lipsyte was a finalist for the 1992 Pulitzer Prize in Commentary and author of the YA best-selling boxing novel, “The Contender.” Lipsyte brought stimulating and dynamic insights into the brutal yet beautiful world of boxing. This talk was part of the exciting programs that further explore the Summer 2023 exhibition, Strike Fast, Dance Lightly: Artists on Boxing, in collaboration with the FLAG Art Foundation.

We were honored to host Ma’s House for an Artist Talk with visual artist Nani Chacon, moderated by Shinnecock artist, Founder of Ma’s House, and The Church Board Member, Jeremy Dennis. Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio Inc. is a communal art space and artists’ residency for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) located on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation. Chacon shared a presentation of her work, followed by a dialogue with Dennis, including a discussion about their collaboration currently on view at MOMA PS1.

It is summer in the Hamptons! Hamptons Jazz Fest launched its 2023 season at The Church!
Hamptons Jazz Fest, produced by The Jam Session Inc., is a series of performances that bring together world-class musicians in the fields of jazz, Latin, and world music to the East End of Long Island. Kicking off the season on June 29th was vocalist Nicole Zuraitis accompanied by GRAMMY-nominated Israeli drummer and composer Dan Pugach, and his award-winning nine-piece ensemble (nonet). The nonet’s compositions were conceived for six horns and a trio rhythm section.

Insight Sunday returned with multidisciplinary artist Stephen Laub. Originally from California, Laub moved to New York City in 1977, where his performances and videos were presented at venues such as 112 Greene Street, The Kitchen, and MoMA, and his sculptural work was represented by the Elan Wingate Gallery. He taught at Tyler School of Art and then in the Art Department at Rutgers University, Newark, retiring in 2018.

Our iconic building was transformed for one night only into a dazzling dinner theater-style experience, featuring the fabulous Candace Bushnell in Is There Still Sex In The City?

In her new one-woman show, New York icon Candace Bushnell (author of SEX AND THE CITY and the OG Carrie Bradshaw), shared her remarkable philosophy through stories of fashion, literature, sex, and New York City while pouring cosmos in Manolos. This was the first-ever staging in Bushnell’s new hometown, Sag Harbor. IS THERE STILL SEX IN THE CITY? received rave reviews from The New York Times and The New Yorker, and followed a successful run at Café Carlyle in New York. The evening startedt with cocktails and a first course and was followed by dinner and remarks. Catering by Annie Washburn/ East Hampton Kitchen. Drinks courtesy Kidd Squid Brewery and Wolffer Vineyards.

Judith Hudson, May's Insight Sunday artist, wants to tweak expectations. We celebrated the freedom of a woman to be as humorous, desirous, covetous, and boisterous as she pleases. Working in watercolor, Hudson is known for her quixotic images and her colorful depiction of our all-too-human-foibles.

Sally Susman, Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Pfizer, debuts her first book, Breaking Through: Communicating to Open Minds, Move Hearts and Change the World. Moderated by Margaret Hoover, host of Firing Line on PBS, the two powerhouses discussed the book and its themes on leadership, empathy, humor, and candor. Susman currently serves on The Church’s board, and her experience and expertise in leadership are vital to our organization; we were honored to celebrate this launch with her.

Attendees witnessed the development of a new dance theater piece by choreographer/director Raja Feather Kelly and the feath3r theory. As part of his residency, Kelly hosted an Open Rehearsal, inviting the community to observe the choreographic process as he continues to develop movement and text relating to the work. The work entitled Death, Loneliness, and The Absolute Future of the Multiverse, or How to Cover the Sun with Mud is a dance theatre documentary about The Great American Eclipse: a total eclipse of the Sun that will result in three minutes and twenty-four seconds of total darkness as the Moons shadow traces the path of totality on April 8th, 2024.