SCENE EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT IT…
BROOKE SHIELDS TALKS ART SOUTHAMPTON, WHERE SHE HANGS OUT EAST & WHY SHE WON’T STOP ACTING ANYTIME SOON
July 1, 2016 | People
Actress Brooke Shields curates a special exhibition focused on animals and nature for this year’s Art Southampton.
Brooke Shields—actress, model, author, original Calvin Klein jeans ingénue, and onetime Tom Cruise nemesis—is expanding her repertoire to the visual arts. The Princeton grad has cocurated an exhibit for the New York Academy of Art titled “Call of the Wild.” Featuring more than 60 paintings and sculptures inspired by nature and the animal kingdom by alumni of the Academy (of which Shields is a board member), it will be shown at this year’s edition of the art fair Art Southampton, running from July 7 through 11.
The theme seems apt, as the school’s MFA program has a long history of working with human models as well as exotic animals brought in by handlers; the Academy also partners each year with the Westminster Kennel Club to run its art competition, with the winning work adorning the club’s annual postcard and official promotional poster.
“What I love about the school is that their focus is on traditional training in painting, drawing, and sculpture, so they’re all highly skilled artists,” says Shields. “It’s like learning a language and making sure that the fundamentals and grammar are instilled.”
Shields has another tie to the school, established in 1982: Among the Academy’s founders was Andy Warhol, a friend of Shields beginning when she was a teen model. “What I think Andy would be proud of, probably even more so than just what the school produces, is the supportive nature of it,” she says. “It’s a rigorous training course, but the support that the artists have for one another—I think he would have loved that because it’s very genuine. It’s not a cutthroat environment.”
SCENE BEACH PARTOL…
75 MAIN’S ZACH ERDEM EXPANDS HIS HOSPITALITY EMPIRE
July 1, 2016 | People
75 Main’s Zach Erdem expands his East End hospitality empire with a new restaurant, an inn, and two nightlife venues.
“I started as a bartender and loved the space,” says restaurateur Zach Erdem, 32, about 75 Main, where he worked his way up to manager before eventually taking over as owner. “I loved the vocation, I loved the crowd, I loved the people we had, and it was always my target to one day own the restaurant.” This summer, Erdem has launched four new projects, including the Japanese restaurant Kozu, with a menu by Nobu alum John Keller. Behind Kozu, he unveiled a renovated late-night lounge, Summer House, which hosts renowned DJs, as well as an adjacent inn, Hotel ZE.
Plus, there’s the massive nightclub AM on Tuckahoe Lane, which can accommodate 1,000 patrons; it has been extensively redone, with new lighting and graffiti-covered walls, and features live acts, DJs, and dancers from the risqué Manhattan nightspot The Box. “You’ll see me running between those places,” Erdem laughs. “You’re going to see me rushing and just trying to make everyone happy and see all my customers.” Kozu, Summer House, Hotel ZE, 136 Main St., Southampton, 619-6660; AM, 125 Tuckahoe Lane, Southampton, 353-3888; 75 Main, 75 Main St., Southampton, 283-7575