THE PARRISH ART MUSEUM'S NIGHT SOIREE

ENGAGE, EDUCATE AND ENVISION THE PARRISH ART MUSEUM’S MIDSUMMER NIGHT SOIREE BRINGS CELEBRATION TO THE EAST END

Interview with Parrish Director, Dr. Mónica Ramírez-Montagut

By Rachel Vancelette

Photos by: Jessica Dalene; David Benthal

hat inspires you about the Parrish Art Museum mission? I am inspired by the fact that the Parrish embodies a W“ tremendous 125-year history of artists working in the East End ranging from late 1800s Impressionists such as William Merritt Chase and Modern American masters like Fairfield Porter, to the preeminent Abstract Expressionist artists such as Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, and Helen Frankenthaler, to groundbreaking pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, to incredibly relevant living artists such as Rashid Johnson, Jacqueline Humphries, Eric Fischl, and Cindy Sherman just to name a few. I am also enthralled by our building designed by the Pritzker Prize recipient firm Herzog & De Meuron and inspired by these artists’ studios and their sensibility to the light in this region. The building allows for the visitor to look out to the meadow and the nature that inspired many of these artists. The Parrish is terrific destination offering access to excellent art, excellent architecture grounded in the nature and creative force of this region, and excellent education and interpretation programs that render the visitor experience like no other in the world.

What are some of your long-range objectives for the Parrish Art Museum? The Parrish will be a forward-thinking and arts leading institution focused on cutting edge artists while simultaneously being grounded and committed to revealing our illustrious past and the revision of our collections. We will continue to be an important destination to local, national, and international audiences who will leave our museum feeling energized, engaged, and inspired by the talent in this region.

How do you envision the visitor experience of The Parrish Art Museum moving into the future? We will focus on serving our diverse constituents in breadth and also in depth. We will engage our community stakeholders and civic leaders in discussions before establishing the exhibition and public program calendars to make sure we are meeting diverse visitors’ expectations, that our audiences feel acknowledged and represented, and that we offered top notch, relevant content. For example, there will be some exhibitions that focus on the creative process of prominent artists and other exhibitions that focus on themes such as biodiversity and the environment—important, relevant issues to our East End residents.

The Parrish’s 125th anniversary of the museum's founding and the 10th anniversary of the museum with its distinctive Herzog & de Meuron-designed building, with the recent celebration with the Midsummer Dance and Dinner, reuniting the support of community could you tell us about the key highlight of the event?

For me the sense of community and a sense of enthusiasm and optimism for the future of this museum was the absolute highlight

ANOTHER JUSTICE: US IS THEM — HANK WILLIS THOMAS | FOR FREEDOMS (EXHIBITION PHOTOS)

of the night. The feeling of coming together to elicit the positive transformation of our institution which will poise us to be an arts leading institution for the 21st century was palpable in the room. There was tons of momentum from coming together after tough two years, to gather, heal, and set off on a new, refreshed pathway that will serve, illuminate, and inspire us all.

With 12,000 sq. ft of exhibition space, how do you see the community playing a role in the museum’s future programming and activities? As mentioned, we will be engaging diverse stakeholders from different communities to discuss our ideas before we turn them into plans. And the deliverables on the walls of the museum will include more points of access for viewers, for example, more extended labels, videos showing the artists working in their studios, a bit more about our incredible history of artists in the East End and our remarkable building and contemporary architecture. The idea is that the visitor experience will offer something for everyone.

What is the key to success when communicating with the public? I believe making sure that accessibility is a priority is the best way to communicate to the public— particularly those visiting us for the first time (which is 60-70% of our visitors) and experiencing modern and contemporary art for the first time. We need to communicate to that audience—not only to those who are already experts in the field, which is how arts institutions have operating for a while. We must make an effort to be generous and provide a textured, rich, and inspiring visitor experience, one that feels relevant to visitors of all ages from different backgrounds, cultures, and abilities.

Can you speak to us about your key people and supporters of the Parish’s mission, who continue to realize its success? How can one become involved? The key to the Parrish’s success and relevancy is to have broad community support all around. We are increasing the diversity and numbers of our board members who in turn will encourage their own communities to be more involved in the Parrish’s programs and giving circles. It is important that we have this broad community of members and ongoing supporters at many different levels, which will ensure a more representative, sustainable future. We welcome everyone to become a member of the Parrish! Those who would like to be more involved can join the Director’s Council and Director’s Circle groups.

What artists in 2022 are inspiring you? I am inspired by so many artists it is very difficult to narrow it down, but currently I am looking at the work by Sanford Biggers, Simone Leigh, Carmen Herrera, Diana Al-Hadid, Zilia Sanchez, Hung Liu, Betsabee Romero, Eddie Martinez, Enoc Perez—and the list keeps going…