Claude’s Gallery Marks Next Step for Jobs Lane Arts District

There is a major cultural milestone coming to Southampton Village. This Thursday, February 20, Southampton Inn will host an opening reception for their new Claude’s Gallery space, featuring the artwork of Ceravolo, Candice CMC, Charles Ford and Robin Morris. Curated by the NYC-based ARDT Gallery, the opening of Claude’s Gallery is not only an exciting new development for the Inn but also a big step forward for the Jobs Lane Arts District, a new initiative to enrich Southampton Village and pave the way for unique artistic and cultural opportunities.

“A gallery was part of the original opening plan for the Southampton Inn during the reopening in 1998,” says Southampton Inn owner Dede Gotthelf. “We wanted original artwork in guests’ rooms instead of typical hotel art,” she adds, noting that many of the pieces purchased for the hotel are from the Schoolhouse Theater and Arts Center in Westchester. Now, 22 years later, the Inn has transformed a connecting space into a gallery. “It’s sort of an exciting repositioning of what had been a utilitarian space,” Gotthelf says. As for the reception this Thursday, Gotthelf exclaims, “We want to create a joyous reception in the middle of February!”

The gallery will become part of the Jobs Lane Arts District, a burgeoning effort to unite the various cultural institutions in Southampton Village, specifically during the off-season months in the Hamptons (Labor Day to Memorial Day). “The village has a lot of treasures,” Southampton Historical Museum Executive Director Tom Edmonds says. The Jobs Lane Arts District, which will be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is an idea that has been germinating for years, but a committee was only recently formed to make it happen.

In addition to Gotthelf and Edmonds, the committee includes iconic architect Peter Marino, who is developing the Peter Marino Art Foundation at 11 Jobs Lane. The Jobs Lane Arts District encompasses the Southampton Historical Museum, Southampton Arts Center, Southampton Cultural Center, the future Peter Marino Art Foundation and now Claude’s Gallery at the Southampton Inn.

It’s fitting that Southampton Inn is helping to shepherd the Jobs Lane Arts District. “I think Dede is a big supporter [of Southampton Village],” Edmonds notes. “She’s a patron for all of us on Jobs Lane and her spark of opening a gallery at Southampton Inn is a big plus for us. The inn is a big employer in the village. The cultural organizations want to support her, as well, because she feeds us tourists.”

Gotthelf is extremely optimistic about the project. “There’s this amazing culture here, and Southampton Inn is the western anchor,” she says. “We’re doing our best to make sure the world recognizes that we’re a pearl of year-round cultural activity. We continue to feel that this is an amazing destination getaway for tourism, corporate groups and family reunions. It’s an easy drive to one of the most pristine, elegant, gracious, affordable destinations within a driving radius to New York City.”

The Southampton Inn, 91 Hill Street, hosts the opening of Claude’s Gallery this Thursday, February 20. Learn more at southamptoninn.com.