Clothesline Art Sale

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Annual Clothesline Art Sale at Guild
Hall this weekend
July 28, 2015 by STEVE PARKS / steve'parks@newsday'com
There was a time when artists hung their
paintings from an actual clothesline at Guild
i{all's Clothesline Art Sale. But that was in the
early years of this Hamptons tradition o{ nearly
70 yelrs that makes affordable art available for
one midsummeds daY.
This year, that day arrives on Saturday'
ln the beginning -- 1946 - this was a much
smaller event. No records remain of how many
artists participated or how many paintings were
sold. But viniage photos show how the annual
sale got its name. "Now we generally receive
800 are sold," says cailin Kaller'
1,500 to 2,000 artworks for the sale, of which about zoo to
and performing arts center in East
ri".i"fLrlrts coordinator at Guild Hall, the leading visual
five pieces each, art is displayed in
Hampton since 1g31. Wth about 500 artists submifting up to
*irJirg rows on the lawn outside the Guild Hall Museum and John Drew Theater'
"People are so excited to find a super bargain
for a fine work of art," says Kaller, now in her
eighth year running the show. "They line up as
ea-rty ai 6 a.m. for a sale that opens at 9' They
wani to get that perfect piece of art Jf^the
weatheris good, thousands stop by." Since
there is no admission fee, attendance figures
do not exist. But Kaller estimated the number
at "2,000 - ProbablY more."
PRICED TO SELL
WHERE Y*U {1UY A IvIATTFESS
IS ABOUT Til CHAruG€'"
re.'*?'
Ov*r 55 In-St*r* Mattres= Galierles
The sale is open to any artist -- not just Guild
Hall artist members, who have their own
annual exhibit inside during the off-season
winter months. "But each piece must be an
originalwork of art," Kaller says' To keep the
advertisement I advertise on newsday
art-affordable, Guild Hallsets a strict price
range. The first piece an artist submits must be
priiO at $200 or less. The ceiling for a second
Now $pen
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work is $300, $500 for the third, $900 for the fourth and only if all the other price ranges are met
can an artist submit a fifth piece - that one at $2,000 or less. Shoppers pay in cash or by card
debit or credit - and carry the painting, watercolor, print, photograph or small sculpture home.
-
Proceeds from all sales are split 50-50 between that artist and Guild Hall, which uses its share
to fund its programs - from art exhibitions to concerts and theatrical performances. The
entrance fee for each artist is $10.
Although it's only a one-day sale, Kaller says the event would be impossible but for the 225
volunteers who work three days to make it happen.
AN ARTIST'S VIEW
"lt all evens out," Barbara Bilotta says of the price limits and the 50-50 split. Bilotta, a Mount
Sinai abstract expressionist painter, has sold works at the Clothesline Art Sale for 10 years.
"Usually an art gallery will get 50 percent of whatever you sell. So this arrangement seems fair.
And I like supporting what they do at Guild Hall," Bilotta says. "l've been lucky. I usually sell
out."
The lower price range makes it tikely that an artist will sell something .. a piece can be priced for
as little as $50 - while the higher prices can make it very profitable for a single day.
"Guild Hall is the heart of the Hamptons," says Bilotta. "Patrons who follow me usually show up,
assuming the weather'S OK." (lt's rain or shine for the Clothesline Art Sale.)
Two paintings Bilotta submitted at the higher price levels for Saturday's show are "The Sky's the
Limit" and "Serenity on the Water." Both are seascapes * a popular choice for this sale at a site
just a couple of miles from Main Beach, which Stephen "Dr. Beach" Leatherman of Florida
lnternational University rates as one of the top ocean beaches in the United States.
"l would say that my success in the Clothesline Art Sale has been instrumentalto my success
overall," says Bilotta. "A lot of people who really want to own some original art see your work at
this show."
69th annual Clothesline Art Sale
WHEN IWHERE 9 a.m.4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, outdoors at Guild Hall, 158 Main St., East
Hampton
INFO 631 -324-0806, guiidhall. org
ADMISSION Free
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