LongHouse Reserve Welcomes New Board of Trustee Members

The LongHouse Reserve’s Board of Trustees expanded considerably this week, with the addition of four new members—Caroline Baumann, Dr. Derick T. George, Ayse Manyas Kenmore and Fitzhugh Karol.

“Through COVID-19, LongHouse is still thriving, and we’re grateful to be able to grow our capacity as an organization, continue our commitment to diversity and propel the globetrotting, multicultural vision of Jack Lenor Larsen into a bright future,” says President of the Board Dianne Benson. “We’re thrilled to welcome these four trustees who refresh us with their new perspectives—a museum professional to ease our transition from garden to institution, a man of medicine to help guide us through this pandemic, a seasoned political and human rights activist and a young artist primarily interested in building things for a new generation.”

Caroline Baumann is a New York City–based design connoisseur, working at the cultural intersection of design, technology, education and social change. Formerly the director of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Baumann oversaw the museum’s mammoth renovation, restoration and reinvention including a unique digital museum experience that placed relevance and immersion at its core. Following her leadership at Cooper Hewitt, Baumann is now on a mission to continue to use design as a force for positive change, building communities and accessible experiences that foster compassion, inclusion and a greener planet. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Rhode Island School of Design, Royal College of Art U.S.A. Board, NYCxDesign Advisory Council, Applied Arts and Design Museum Network and Fast Company’s Impact Council. Cited as one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People,” Baumann recently spoken at the Aspen Ideas Festival and World Economic Forum, and she was also awarded with the rank of Chevalier of France’s Order of Arts and Letters.

“I am deeply honored to join the LongHouse board and serve my friend and master textile weaver, entrepreneur and collector Jack Lenor Larsen and the entire LongHouse team and community at a time when celebrating life with art and design is more necessary and enriching than ever,” Baumann says.

Dr. Derick T. George is the chairman and a founding member of Long Island Anesthesia Physicians, LLP (LIAP), currently the Director of Anesthesiology at Mather Hospital and St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson. Most recently, he was honored as Mather Hospital’s Physician of the Year and awarded with St. Charles Hospital’s Theodore Roosevelt Award for exceptional dedication, volunteerism and commitment to the hospital community. George holds a B.S. from The Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, City University of NY, an MD from New York University School of Medicine and an MBA from Adelphi University. George completed his post-graduate training and residency at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in NYC.

“My friend and mentor, Dr. Richard Dranitzke, introduced me to the magical place that is LongHouse,” George notes. “The opportunity to serve on the board is a blessing. I trust that I will sustain and fulfill Jack Larson’s visionary efforts and keep his dreams of LongHouse alive for generations to come.”

East Hamptonite Ayse Manyas Kenmore is a devoted philanthropist, having served on the boards of political, social service, human rights and HIV/AIDS organizations—ranging from Design Industries Foundations Fighting AIDS (DIFFA), The National Aids Memorial, San Francisco Aids Foundation, The S.F. Main Library and a Presidential Appointment to the Board of the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. Kenmore received a BA from Connecticut College and MBA from Stanford University and began her professional career at Condé Nast. Together with the late Robert Kenmore, she founded Equivest Partners Inc., a private merchant-banking firm. Kenmore is an avid art collector with a passion for contemporary photographs, Orientalist and Ottoman art and textiles.

“After 30-plus years of being a Jack Lenor Larsen groupie and LongHouse devotee, my sentiments on becoming a LongHouse trustee are joyful,” Kenmore shares. “LongHouse, which has always been a sanctuary of beauty and harmony, now performs a therapeutic role in the pandemic—it’s an emotional and visual reminder that even in chaos, creativity and calm survive and thrive.”

Springs resident Fitzhugh Karol, LongHouse’s youngest board member, is a multi-disciplined American artist, working with metal, wood and clay to create artwork that ruminates on man’s imprint on the landscape. He received an MFA in Ceramic Sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design and a BS in Studio Art from Skidmore College. His practice ranges from work that can be contained within a gallery setting to large-scale public sculptures that create an inviting and unconventional way to experience art. Karol’s work has been exhibited in NYC’s Prospect and Tappen Park, Socrates Sculpture Park and several other venues in the Northeast. Fitzhugh Karol is a winner of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge Public Art Program, was awarded the UNIQLO NYC Park Expressions Grant, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Process Space Residency, The Edward Albee Foundation Fellowship, Wassaic Project Residency and the Socrates Sculpture Park’s Emerging Artist Fellowship, and he apprenticed ceramic artist Toshiko Takaezu. He is now a resident artist at architectural design and development firm The Brooklyn Home Company.

To learn more about the LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton, visit longhouse.org.