Watermill Center Open Rehearsal Saturday Celebrates Shinnecock History

The Shinnecock Indian Nation’s history and culture will be showcased at the Watermill Center’s event Saturdays at WMC with an open rehearsal of Flying Point on June 13.

From 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at 39 Watermill Town Road, the open rehearsal will present resident artists’ creations that capture and document the first-hand accounts of the tribe’s oral history. The featured artists include Tomek Jeziorski, Adam Lenz, Shane Weeks and Karolina Zielińska. The exhibition will display a collection of the artists’ research and documentation project titled Flying Point, and will act as a multimedia installation that offers a look into the Shinnecock Indian Nation’s culture. The personalized history built from the tribe’s stories relates the experience of living through historical and recent events, and serves as a contemporary look into the Shinnecock community.

Jeziorski was born in Warsaw, Poland, in 1986. Jeziorski graduated from the University of Warsaw where he received a degree in cultural studies. He also holds a degree in film directing from the National Film School in Lodz. Jeziorski is responsible for many diverse projects including documentary videos, animated projections, and found footage compositions. His works also comprise video design for larger-scale theater, dance and music productions.

Lenz, a composer and multimedia artist, is currently living in Hartford, Connecticut. Lenz has an Artist Diploma from the Hartt School of Music along with a B.M. in music composition, and an M.A in music research from Western Michigan University.

A member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation, Weeks is a multidisciplinary artist and cultural consultant. Weeks was born on the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton and travels up and down the East Coast to many American and Canadian reservations to study history and culture of other native peoples. He has dedicated his life to education and bridging the gaps between the local community and the Shinnecock Nation. Weeks involvement is extensive as he has taught craft workshops for years and worked in conjunction with the Shinnecock Nation Cultural Center and Museum. He is a distinguished member of the Shinnecock community and government and has made it his mission to teach both the Shinnecock people and their neighbors to build a better future for the Reservation and the local community as a whole.

Zielińska was born in Biala Podlaska, Poland, in 1988. Zielińska graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz with a degree in photography, and she went on to study cinematography at the National Film School in Lodz. Zielińska’s works were on exhibit at FOTOFESTIVAL in Lodz as well as in Biala Podlaska and Warsaw. She is currently employed as a cinematographer.

This event is open to the public and admission is free. Tours and visits to the featured exhibits and the Watermill collection are open to the general public by appointment, and the entire space is used as an active laboratory for resident artists to work. The guided tours offered on Saturday afternoon may be reserved in advance through June 13 by visiting watermillcenter.org/events/saturdayswmcflyingpoint.

A $10 donation is suggested for guided tours.

For more information go to watermillcenter.org or call 631-726-4628.