Stealth operations are hardly associated with Guild Hall, the premiere arts institution of East Hampton, but as artistic director Andrea Grover announced at the summer gala this week, on a horse farm in Amagansett, more and more, Guild Hall is commissioning the work of emerging artists, “a quiet revolution,” as it were.

Established artists are not overlooked, of course. The evening was a celebration of a new exhibition of Ellsworth Kelly’s art and the political career of Judith Hope Twomey. Alec Baldwin introduced Twomey noting that much is said about the lack of women in politics, and that is true, but “I wish there were more like her.” Twomey spoke about first coming to East Hampton from Arkansas, and notables such as Chuck Close and Saul Steinberg assisting with her campaign. When Baldwin offered to help, he went to speak in towns in upstate NY and the women turned out in droves to hear him. “They are still talking about it,” said Twomey amusing the crowd. Politically speaking, let’s hope for a bigger revolution.

Baldwin’s commitment to Guild Hall is best demonstrated in his anecdotes about friends like artist John Alexander, the evening’s M.C., asking him,

“What are you doing tonight?”

“We’re taking a helicopter to the city to have dinner with Mick Jagger.”

“Sorry, I’m introducing a film at Guild Hall,’” he would reply.

He also gamely bid for prizes at the auction, driving up funds forGuild Hall’s many programs. Auctions, of course, are the mainstay of benefit dinners. But this one got a bit dicey when the Ellsworth Kelly estate offered a rare opportunity to go to Kelly’s Columbia County studio complete with transportation on a private jet. The bidding did not go up quite as high as planned, and several attendees walked out. It is hard to know who exactly was seated at that table among the many guests including Dorothy Lichtenstein, Roy’s widow, poet John Giorno, Agnes Gund, and Dr. Ruth Westheimer. A weekend loan of a Rolls-Royce did not garner its estimated value either.

Regina Weinreich

Graphic Design: Salpeter Ventura