Architect Hugh Hardy Honored at LongHouse Benefit
LongHouse Reserve honored contemporary architect Hugh Hardy during its Design for Living winter benefit at National Sawdust, a new music venue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on Tuesday evening, March 15.
The benefit is the first of a yearlong jubilee celebrating the 25th anniversary of the local non-profit arboretum, art museum, sculpture park and educational organization in East Hampton. Melding art and nature, LongHouse’s nearly 16-acre property in East Hampton is home to beautiful trees and flowers, as well as numerous sculptural pieces by artists such as Willem de Kooning and Yoko Ono.
The evening began at 6:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception, followed by a discussion between Hardy and architect Peter Zuspan, founding principal of the company that redesigned the National Sawdust venue. Hardy received the LongHouse Award for his reshaping of the cultural landscape, most notably his renovations to Radio City Music Hall. Legendary textile designer and LongHouse Reserve founder Jack Lenor Larsen presented the award to Hardy, proudly inducting him into the roster of LongHouse honorees.
After Hardy and Zuspan’s discussion, guests were treated to a multimedia performance by Nona Hendryx, a founding member of the soul group Patti Labelle and the BlueBelles.
Guests and patrons were then served dinner and dessert, contributed by James Beard Award-winning Chef Patrick Connolly.
Overall, the night was a collective of esteemed artists under the roof of Brooklyn’s newest and most conceptual music venue. National Sawdust is an artist-led non-profit dedicated to helping emerging and established artists share their music with the world—their mantra being “vision into art.”
The LongHouse Reserve will host their annual “Serious Moonlight” summer benefit later this year on July 23 at the LongHouse gardens in East Hampton.