07.27.24
SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2024
6:00PM PERFORMANCES + INSTALLATIONS
8:30PM SEATED DINNER + LIVE AUCTION
A Laboratory, 100 Years of Experimentation, honoring Lucinda Childs. This year’s theme is a nod to 100 years of the original building and the laboratory it once was for Western Union. Today, as a laboratory for the arts and humanities, creativity and experimentation inspire Watermill's present and most importantly, its future.
To celebrate the groundbreaking work of this year's honoree, there will be a series of performances re-staging Lucinda Childs' seminal works, including Pastime (1963), Carnation (1964) and Katema (1978) featuring the artist's niece, Ruth Childs; alongside Untitled Trio (1968) and Radial Courses (1976) with her long-time collaborator Ty Boomershine of the Dance On Ensemble.
Lucinda Childs and Robert Wilson began working together in 1976 on the iconic opera Einstein on the Beach. Their friendship and collaboration continued through the restaging of their 1981 piece Relative Calm in 2022. This year’s summer benefit will reflect their ongoing creative partnership, and immerse visitors in dozens of performances from artists celebrating collaboration as a whole.
A QUOTE FROM ROBERT WILSON
“When I began The Watermill Center, I left New York City to be in a natural environment. It was in 1987 that I first saw the abandoned Western Union building, a laboratory for telecommunications, up until 1959. I thought it could be a laboratory for creative thinking with the purpose of supporting artists and thinkers from different cultures, backgrounds and generations.
Experimentation is sometimes doing the wrong thing. Experimentation is sometimes going left when you think you should go right, and going up when you are told to go down. Experimentation is to ask what is it? This question shall remain throughout the life of an artist. It is the reason we work as artists.
It is one of the many reasons I adore working with Lucinda. It is an honor to celebrate her brilliance as a choreographer, her strong stance on social justice, human rights and uncompromising commitment to humanity and the arts. Lucinda and I think alike. We trust one another and we have fun working together. I adore her humor.”
- Robert Wilson, Founder + Artistic Director
