Diversity Statement

LongHouse Reserve is committed to equity, diversity, anti-racism, and access through its mission, collections, programs, policies, and communications, and to expanding diversity at all levels of the organization.  Our staff, trustees, committees, and volunteers share this commitment.  

We pledge to reflect the diversity of the community we serve in terms of our education initiatives, programming, and installations, in order to facilitate meaningful interaction and lasting relationships.  We pledge to make all feel welcome and instill a sense of belonging. 

We recognize that this work is ongoing and will evolve over time.

About LongHouse Reserve

LongHouse Reserve is a 16-acre reserve and sculpture garden located in East Hampton, NY, featuring pieces from Buckminster Fuller, Yoko Ono and Willem de Kooning, and many other artists. Open to members and to the public for a small fee. For more information about visiting LongHouse, click here.

Check out this 2018 profile on Jack Lenor Larsen on PBS's "Craft in America: Visionaries" : Visionaries

LongHouse Reserve was founded by Jack Lenor Larsen, internationally known textile designer, author, and collector.  His home, LongHouse,  was built as a case study to exemplify a creative approach to contemporary life. He believes visitors experiencing art in living spaces have a unique learning experience--more meaningful than the best media. LongHouse contains 13,000 square feet, and 18 spaces on four levels. The gardens present the designed landscape as an art form and offer a diversity of sites for the sculpture installations. 

LongHouse encompasses nearly 16 acres of East Hampton Township's great Northwest Woods. Since he acquired the property in 1975, Jack Larsen has laid out an entrance drive lined with majestic cryptomerias, established lawns and ornamental borders, and defined major spaces as settings for plant collections and sculpture.

The long, low berms that divide the property recall the boundaries of farm fields that occupied the site until it was abandoned for agricultural use in the 19th century. Much of the deciduous canopy of second growth native trees has been preserved.

Finding inspiration in the 7th century Shinto shrine at Ise, Japan, Larsen decided to build the house on the property in 1986. LongHouse was designed by architect Charles Forberg and built by Joe Tufariello.

As part of our internationally recognized Art in the Gardens program, Jack Lenor Larsen and the LHR Arts Committee have assembled a collection of more than 60 contemporary sculptures in the LongHouse gardens. Throughout the 16 acre site, permanent works are on display along with those on seasonal loan from artists, collectors, and dealers. Whether you return to see an old favorite or walk the grounds in search of a new installation, LongHouse entices with noteworthy works and magnificent vistas. 

Says Benjamin Genocchio, Arts and Entertainment critic for the New York Times, “LongHouse is not as big as some sculpture parks outside New York City, nor does it have artworks by the A-list of outdoor sculptors, especially heavy metal masters like Richard Serra or Mark di Suvero. But what it does have is individuality and a finely wrought sense of style. It also offers the element of surprise; I love visiting this place because I never know what I am going to find.” 

Sculpture and Gardens

LongHouse embraces a comprehensive view of art.  Our goal is to expand the imagination and appeal to visitors of all ages and every level of appreciation. Ethnographic works and handcrafts share the spotlight with the best of modern art. One can view many of the 60 works in our gardens, along with those of visiting artists. Glass installations by Chihuly, ceramics by Takaezu, and bronzes by de Kooning, Nivola, and Hunt, as well as works by Ossorio, Bury, Ono, Soga, Kraitz, LeWitt, Rosenthal, and Opocensky, while Buckminster Fuller's Fly's Eye Dome keeps watch over all.

The gardens at LongHouse serve as a living case study of the interaction between plants and people in the 21st century.  We not only create landscapes as an art form, we simultaneously demonstrate planting potentials in this climate - with a wide variety of natural and cultivated species.  Sharing these extensive plant collections, and experiencing them in relation to living spaces, over time, and with seasonal changes, is the chief pleasure for Mr. Larsen and the LHR staff.  It is also the soundest learning experience.

Highlights