AIA Peconic Presents Disposable Masterpieces at Bay Street Theater

Architecture-inspired sketches on napkins by members of AIA Peconic, the East End chapter of the American Institute of Architects, are on display at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor this month in an exhibition dubbed “Disposable Masterpieces.”

Presented the AIA Peconic’s Emerging Professionals Committee, the exhibition celebrates the time-honored tradition of exploring ideas spontaneously with the materials available in the moment, according to Bay Street.

“We all know that feeling of being on the verge of spontaneous genius,” said AIA Peconic Executive Director Maria Fumai Dietrich. “The answer to a question, the solution to a problem, the image that conjures in our imagination is bursting and needs a place to land, even if just temporarily. We grab what’s nearby — perhaps the napkin under our drink at the local bar. And on that disposable medium, we put down our masterpiece. It’s romantic. But it’s also practical. (Not unlike architecture itself.)

“I have really enjoyed seeing the AIA Peconic community come together, led by the Emerging Professionals Committee, to sketch over the past few months,” she continued. “The collection of napkin sketches on view is a glimpse into the creative problem-solving and imaginations of individuals within our vibrant membership and extended family of friends and colleagues in the region.”

A reception to toast the exhibition and its contributors will take place on Thursday, October 24, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Open to AIA Peconic members and nonmembers alike, the reception will include light bites and a cash bar. Admission is $10. At 6:15 pm, there will be a brief annual meeting for AIA Peconic members.

The Bay Street Theater lobby is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., to view the exhibition until the end of October.