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Ten years after opening its doors on the Long Island, NY site of a former Western Union communication research facility on July 15, 2006, The Watermill Center will inaugurate an anniversary celebration in 2016 encompassing a yearlong schedule of exhibitions, programs, and events.

The Center’s 10th anniversary is highlighted by considerable growth in the number of residencies that will be made available to artists, nearly doubling from an average of 14 residents over the past nine years to 27 international Artists-in-Residence in 2016. The Watermill Center’s global community of former resident artists includes such exceptional artists as, Oliver Beer, Cirkus Cirkör, Julian Crouch, Degenerate Art Ensemble, Annie Gosfield, Cynthia Hopkins, Christopher Knowles, My Barbarian, Shirin Neshat, and People Get Ready, to name but a few.

With the launch of the reACT Series, Watermill spotlights the work of these past Watermill residents. Former Artists-in-Residence Jack Ferver, Paola Prestini, and the Trisha Brown Dance Company will present performances for the inaugural reACT Series, which kicks off on May 28, 2016 with TBDC’s Trisha Brown: In Plain Site.

Robert Wilson, Founder and Artistic Director of The Watermill Center, said, “At Watermill, the space is maintained in a certain order, allowing others to interface with it, change it, and develop their own work in an aesthetic that can be completely different from my own. This is how I learn and grow in my own work.”

The Watermill Center and Wilson continue their commitment to supporting the work of young artists in 2016 through the vibrant International Summer Program, which has annually gathered more than 80 artists from over 30 countries to build and create new works that are presented at the Watermill Summer Auction & Benefit and Discover Watermill Day. The Center also deepens its commitment to presenting humanities programs with the newly created Viewpoints @ 29th Street series joining the annual Summer Lecture Series as signature programs. Further, Watermill enriches its visual arts programming by presenting a series of temporary exhibitions and unveiling new commissions by the inaugural recipients of the Inga Maren Otto Fellowship. With the support of the Robert Wilson Stiftung, Watermill will also present FADA on April 29 and 30 throughout Berlin’s Kindl – Centre For Contemporary Art. Site-specific installations and performances will be created by former Watermill residents Oliver Beer, Jorinde Voigt and Ralf Ziervogel especially for FADA. (Download complete program details and season chronology in our press room.)

William I. Campbell, Chairman of The Watermill Center Board of Directors, said, “With the opening of The Watermill Center in 2006, The Byrd Hoffman Water Mill Foundation realized its dream of creating a space that would, at once, accommodate artists-in-residence, scholars, students, and collaborators; house our extensive collection of art and artifacts; and provide a laboratory in which artists could conceive, develop, and rehearse new works. We thank the Board and leadership for their generous contributions over the past decade and we look forward to continuing this essential work.”

Searching for a new artistic base and incubator for his work, Wilson found the Watermill site in 1989. Abandoned since the 1960s, the building, on the outpost of the Shinnecock Reservation in Water Mill, NY, was in terrible condition, but it had the potential he had been looking for.

By the mid-eighties, Wilson’s mind was made up and he was convinced that there was magic in the old and obsolete buildings. Eventually the deed was passed to The Byrd Hoffman Water Mill Foundation. Wilson envisioned Watermill as a laboratory for experimentation, technological and otherwise—providing a “think tank” for artists working in all disciplines.

Today, the Watermill Center is a 20,000 square foot flexible working space that includes a 6,000-volume research library, galleries, rehearsal and staging spaces, workshops, offices, and residences situated on eight-and-a-half acres of artist-designed and landscaped grounds. The Center’s collection of almost 8,000 art and artifact pieces spanning the history of humankind is integrated into all aspects of the building and grounds as a reminder that the history of each civilization is told by its artists.

William Wagner, Managing Director of The Watermill Center, said, “We are thrilled that over the years, Watermill has become an integral part of the East End community and the region of New York City. Together with our board and staff, patrons, and neighbors, we will continue to build Watermill and its reputation as a global destination for artists and audiences in the region. We are especially excited about the reACT Series in honor of The Center’s 10th Anniversary, which reaffirms our continuing dedication to support artists in their development, past and present.”

The Watermill Center’s programs are made possible by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, Cowles Charitable Trust, Israel’s Office of Cultural Affairs, the Jerome Robbins Foundation, LLWW Foundation, the Scaler Foundation, Taipei Cultural Center, and Trust for Mutual Understanding.

The Inga Maren Otto Fellowship was created with a generous gift from philanthropist Inga Maren Otto to provide support for emerging and mid-career artists who have demonstrated exceptional creative ability in the arts.

Founded by avant-garde visionary Robert Wilson in 2006, The Watermill Center is an interdisciplinary laboratory for the arts and humanities located in Water Mill, NY. The Watermill Center is dedicated to supporting artists at all stages of their career through its Artists-in-Residence Program, International Summer Program, and the newly-established Inga Maren Otto Fellowship. These unparalleled global residency programs are complemented by public events such as exhibitions, performances, open rehearsals, lectures, seminars and symposia, educational programs with schools and other local institutions, as well as tours of the building and grounds.

The Watermill Center itself is a 20,000 square foot flexible working space that includes a 6,000 volume research library, galleries, rehearsal and staging spaces, workshops, offices, and residences situated on eight-and-a-half acres of artist-designed and landscaped grounds. The Watermill Center Collection of almost 8,000 art and artifact pieces spanning the history of humankind is integrated into all aspects of the building and grounds as a reminder that the history of each civilization is told by its artists.
watermillcenter.org

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