Photos: 'Rites Of Spring' Celebrated At East Hampton's LongHouse Reserve

EAST HAMPTON, NY — It was a joyful celebration of the Rites of Spring at the LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton on Saturday, as the 16-acre reserve and sculpture garden officially opened for the 2017 season.

New installations include "FROSTYDICKFANTASY" by John Chamberlain, "Accretion" by John Crawford, "Almost Like the Blues" by Marylyn Dintenfass, "The Fish Bench" by Judy Kensley McKie, "Three Indeterminate Lines" by Bernar Venet and "The Mete of the Muse" by Fred Wilson.

In addition, the permanent collection of sculpture, including works by Buckminster Fuller, Yoko Ono, and Willem de Kooning, was also on view, as was the newest "LongHouse Collects" exhibit of textiles, pottery, furniture and more, curated by LongHouse Founder Jack Lenor Larsen.

A crowd of hundreds attended the event, with one couple traveling from England to experience the horticultural beauty.

Irene Tully, a LongHouse Reserve docent and education committee member, said during her tour of the gardens, she met a first-time visitor who had come to celebrate her birthday, a cancer survivor who made the journey in order to experience the healing beauty of LongHouse, and that woman's husband, who said that it was the happiest he'd seen his wife since her diagnosis.

"She was bubbling over with joy," he said.

"LongHouse has healing powers and can act as an elixir: it can act as a mythical potion," Tully said. "I believe in the power of nature and beauty to help people deal with loss or illness or troubles. Long may you serve, LongHouse. Thank you, Jack and the Board of LongHouse Reserve for offering this magical place that is shared with all."

Patch courtesy photos.