Elizabeth Parker's Paintings Open The Season at The Arts Center at Duck Creek

Elizabeth Ashton Parker Anderson (1893-1975), professionally known as Elizabeth Parker, was an accomplished painter and advocate for the arts, living and working in Springs in the 1950s.

The Arts Center at Duck Creek in Springs kicks off the 2019 season on Saturday, May 11 with “Elizabeth Parker: Library Paintings.” An opening reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. and the show remains on view through Sunday May 26.

“Library Paintings” is a selection of works recently recovered from the attic of the Springs Library. Parker donated these objects to the Town of East Hampton, along with her home, the 168-year-old Ambrose Parsons House on Old Stone Highway, which now serves as the community library.

Elizabeth Parker exhibited her work widely during her lifetime, both locally and abroad. She attended Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, the Art Students League in New York City, and studied under Hans Hoffman in Provincetown, Massachusetts. She designed sets and costumes for the New York Theater Guild and served as President of the Springs Improvement Society, in addition to being a long-term member of the Art Committee of Ashawagh Hall.

Her work is in the collections of both Guild Hall and The Parrish Art Museum. In 1957, John Little, whose restored barn/studio houses the Arts Center at Duck Creek, solicited Parker along with Alfonso Ossorio to open the first commercial gallery in East Hampton.

Signa Gallery, then located at 53 Main Street (where Firestone Gallery now resides), operated for three years, displaying works by well-known locals like Willem de Kooning and Franz Kline, but also artists such as Agnes Martin and Philip Guston. In response to Parker’s work, John Little wrote, “This work is characterized by opposing vibrant color, the form being synonymous with color, form growing out of the color with a totality of light.”

On the occasion of Parker’s Memorial Exhibition in 1976, artist Alfonso Ossorio noted, “Elizabeth Parker devoted her life to her art and to a constructive involvement with other people. Especially those in her chosen field of work. Quietly, unobtrusively, undemandingly, she persevered in developing her painting into a body of work filled with gaiety and a sense of the contrasts, calms and tensions of life. She was singularly modest about what she created, so much so that even her friends may well be surprised and delighted with the variety and richness of this exhibition. And for this joyful accomplishment we thank her.”

The non-profit Arts Center at Duck Creek develops and operates programming at the East Hampton Town-owned historic Duck Creek Farm for the benefit of the local community. Its mission is to honor the spirit of artist John Little, whose 19th century barn/studio was a meeting place for artists in the ‘50s and beyond.

“It is fitting that the Arts Center at Duck Creek chose to exhibit Elizabeth Parker’s “library” paintings as the organization's first public exhibit as licensee of the John Little barn. The property is the perfect location to honor the contributions of Springs residents, such as Parker, to art, and is a beautiful setting for our residents and visitors to experience community events,” said East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc. “I am proud to have been involved with the barn’s restoration and development of the Town’s partnership with the Arts Center at Duck Creek for the benefit of the community.”

All events are free at the Arts Center at Duck Creek and open to the public. The exhibition will be open Friday to Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. and the center is located at 127 Squaw Road, East Hampton.