A Magical Experience in Springs

The Arts Center at Duck Creek

Being a good steward of the land is of great importance to Jess Frost, Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Arts Center at Duck Creek. Frost grew up across from the Center’s land in Springs which dates back to the native Montauketts. In the late 1700’s, it was an over 100 acre working farm of the Edwards family dedicated to cattle and salt hay which was used for insulation and to preserve ice. 

After being parceled off over time, John Little, an artist who was friendly with Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner, bought the land in 1949. He purchased a 20th century barn from the Gardiner family on James Lane and had it taken down and resurrected on site to be his studio. It became a gathering place for local artists and now the main exhibition space named after him continues as a community meeting place with the Arts Center at Duck Creek, a vibrant, sustainable arts organization which produces free creative programming that supports artists, celebrates diversity, and honors the East End’s cultural legacy.

The seven-acre parcel of land was purchased by the Town of East Hampton in 2004 with funds from the Community Preservation Fund. It was then licensed to the 501(c)3 not for profit Duck Creeks Art Center for its first full season of programming.

Frost, who now owns her family home across from the Center averted a brief desire to move to Oregon to be a park ranger to return to her career in art and culture but in a more accessible way. “I grew up out here with a mother who was a painter and father an architect and they took me to a ton of art events as a kid. There was a real sense that art was for everyone, not just the folks who were buying and selling it. Back then, art felt more like a way for people to share their culture and ideas.”

The Center provides a wide diversity of programming through its art and sculpture exhibits, live jazz music enjoyed by guests on the lawn and family nights where members of the whole family can explore and learn art and music with special guests such as Latin Grammy winners. It might be one of the most valued secret places shared by those who have experienced the magic of the setting. It encourages a two-way dialogue to engage with visitors such as at the annual “Airing of the Quilts” where anyone can bring a quilt to hang and share stories with each other.

“Our mission is also to support artists and provide them with a platform for experimentation,” explains Frost, “Each exhibition comes with a stipend and a budget for shipping and installation. We include a travel and food stipend for musicians to make the trip out here more relaxing and enjoyable for them. There’s an authenticity and a purity to the fact that we’re not making decisions on what we can make a profit on or what’s trendy. We’re making choices based on the merit of the work and what it can bring to the community.” They also have an open call where anyone can send in a proposal and it is chosen not by the director or board but by Duck Creek alumni.

“It really is everything I wished existed here that we lost through commercialization, that sense of you just roll off the beach and show up with your hair a mess and relax and enjoy yourself,” says Frost adding with a laugh, “I dress like a farmer most of the time.” 

Frost’s roll as steward has been to stick to the values the property dictates, “After a successful night looking out on the lawn, I thought I’m just one person in a long chain of people who have used this property. This doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to the community.”