LongHouse director to speak at the library

Friday Night Dialogues at the Library will celebrate one of the East End’s most exquisite gems, the LongHouse Reserve, on February 8 at 6 p.m.

The reserve lies deep in East Hampton’s Northwest Woods, hidden from the hurly-burly of the Hamptons. Executive Director Matko Tomicic brings a magical and informative tour of the 16 acres of sculptures, plant collections, ornamental borders and decorations, as well as a preview of spring and summer programs.

The LongHouse Reserve is made up of gardens surrounding the home of renowned textile designer, Jack Larsen, one of four Americans ever to be honored with an exhibition in the Palais du Louvre. A scholar, world traveler and an authority on traditional and contemporary crafts, Mr. Larsen was inspired by the famous Japanese shrine at Ise, and LongHouse exemplifies a creative approach to contemporary life. His home doubles as a private residence and the reserve’s offices. Its gardens present the designed landscape as an art form and offer a vibrant and diverse array of sites for sculpture installations, affirming Mr. Larsen’s belief that experiencing art in living spaces is unique.

The sculpture and programs at LongHouse reflect world cultures and embrace a comprehensive view of art — ethnographic works and handcrafts that share the spotlight with the best of modern art among the 60 works in the LongHouse collection and those of visiting artists. The gardens are more than a background — they are described as “a living case study of the interaction between plants and people in the 21st century … simultaneously demonstrating planting potentials in this climate with a wide variety of natural and cultivated species.”

Friday Night Dialogues at the Library is free with donations appreciated. Those attending can pick up a voucher good for a 10-percent discount for a regularly-priced dinner that night at La Maison Blanche or Sweet Tomato’s