Textile designer Jack Lenor Larsen died in December of 2020, but Longhouse, the spectacular arts reserve off East Hampton’s Northwest Woods continues his tradition with an exhibition of his work. Influenced by his travels, the show is a glimpse into the adaptation of worldly visions into a uniquely American aesthetic. Of course, that’s only one reason to visit Longhouse, which features sculpture throughout, such as an iconic geodesic dome from Buckminster Fuller and Yoko Ono’s “Wishing Tree.” And what about the gardens, and arches of bright baby pink roses!!!!

Guild Hall returned to its tradition, “The Garden as Art” tour featuring artists’ work on the grounds of their East End sanctuaries. I’d like to tell you that Tony Ingrao and Randy Kemper’s gorgeous grounds with its statuary and expert landscaping was my favorite. Or the artist Ross Bleckner’s studio left open for all to see, particularly showcasing the paintings so influenced by gardens. The “best” distinction goes to Tucker Marder who took visitors around his “Folly Tree Arboretum,” speaking of each tree and its specific ecological distinction: the “Moon Tree,” for example, a clone of a Sycamore that went to the moon as a seed with astronaut Stuart Roosa in 1971 as part of the Apollo 14 mission.

Tucker Marder showed everyone the cedar shingle house he grew up in, a barn he is converting into an artists’ residence and work studio, his roosters, geese, and—the scene stealers—two 500-pound unnamed pigs. The group, attending to Tucker’s every word, now broke away to coax the two female pigs out into their muddy sty, screaming, “Sueeeeee.” No males. If they breed, said Marder, you have to then deal with a litter of 13 piglets, which can be frightful.

Fun fact: the Ingrao/ Kemper grounds were created by Charles Marder, that’s Tucker’s father, with the two properties a ying and yang of garden aesthetics.