Accabonac House Artists' Retreat Announces Kickoff Event

A launch party will be held for the new interdisciplinary artists retreat Accabonac House on Tuesday, July 21, at Ashawagh Hall in East Hampton. The evening, which is free and open to the public, will feature a performance of Happy Hour by Monica Bill Barnes Company, music by Invisible Familiars, and a silent auction that includes the art of Gibby Haynes, Jim Tozzi, and Dan Witz.

Accabonac House is a year-round retreat dedicated to the memory of Lisa de Kooning, who spent part of her childhood in the house, located in the heart of Historic Spring/East Hampton. Her father, the abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning, traded a painting for the property in 1961, which served as his first studio in Springs as well as a home for his only child, Lisa, and her mother the illustrator, Joan Ward.

Proceeds from the silent auction will support Accabonac House’s mission to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work alone or collaboratively without interruption in a supportive environment. Accabonac House is particularly interested in the narrative voice and how different disciplines deal with storytelling. Accabonac House offers residencies to playwrights, actors, directors, musicians, dancers, filmmakers, and artists to foster mutual inspiration across different disciplines and generate new work for stage and screen.

Board members of Accabonac House include artistic director Alex Kilgore, Rachael Horovitz, Marsha Norman, Annie Baker, Adam Rapp, Gina Gionfriddo, Neena Beber, Monica Bill Barnes, Laurie Beckelman, Paul Sparks, Annie Parisse, David Wilson Barnes, Gibby Haynes, Jim Tozzi, Isabel de Kooning Villeneuve, Emma de Kooning Villeneuve, and Lucy de Kooning Villeneuve.