Artists Retreat Accabonac House Hosts Launch Party and Silent Auction Today

Artistic Director Alex Kilgore announced today that a launch party and first annual silent auction to benefit Accabonac House will be held today, July 21, 2015 at Ashawagh Hall (780 Springs Fireplace Road, East Hampton, NY), starting with a reception at 6 p.m., performance at 7 p.m. and auction at 8 p.m.

The silent auction will feature art by Gibby Haynes, Jim Tozzi, and Dan Witz, with music by Invisible Familiars, and a special performance of Happy Hour by Monica Bill Barnes Company.

In keeping with Accabonac House's mission to bring great work to Springs, the evening is free and open to the public.

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.

Accabonac House is a year-round interdisciplinary artists 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 house 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.

"I think Lisa would be happy with this lineup of great artists from different disciplines coming together to enrich the community. She was all about community," Kilgore said.

Writers, actors, directors, musicians, dancers, artists, and filmmakers will meet at the house for the retreat to create and collaborate on new works for the stage and screen. Board members include Rachael Horovitz, Marsha Norman, Annie Baker, Adam Rapp, Gina Gionfriddo, Neena Beber, Alex Kilgore 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.

For more information on the Accabonac House, visit www.accabonachouse.com.