The Parrish has become one of the East End’s most important cultural institutions. As executive director, how do you balance honoring its legacy while continuing to evolve it for a new generation of artists, collectors, and visitors?
That’s exactly what we’re trying to do, and there isn’t a single answer. It requires an ongoing commitment to honoring the past while embracing the present. We achieve that through the rhythm of our exhibition program. In the fall, we celebrate the region’s artistic legacy through historical exhibitions. Winter focuses on local artists, schools, and community-centered projects, while summer highlights contemporary artists with meaningful connections to the East End. Ultimately, we are always asking: Why is this important today? Our responsibility is to ensure that art remains relevant, engaging, and accessible for visitors across generations.
What role do you believe the Parrish plays in shaping the cultural identity of the Hamptons beyond the summer season?
The Parrish serves as both a keeper of the East End’s artistic heritage and an active contributor to its cultural future. While many people associate the Hamptons with summer, the East End has an extraordinary artistic legacy that spans generations. Artists such as William Merritt Chase and Jackson Pollock came here because of the landscape, the light, and the unique character of this place. Through their work, we can trace an important chapter in the history of American art. At the same time, we’re not simply preserving history—we’re helping shape what comes next. Artists continue to come here to create, connect, and build community, and it’s our role to support that ongoing evolution.
Looking back on your tenure so far, is there a particular exhibition or initiative that best reflects your vision for the museum?
In many ways, I hope every exhibition reflects that vision, but one project that stands out is our 125th Anniversary exhibition, Artists Choose Parrish. We invited 40 contemporary artists with deep East End roots—including Cindy Sherman, Sean Scully, David Salle, Amy Sillman, and Ugo Rondinone—to select works from the Parrish collection and exhibit their own work alongside them. The results were deeply personal. The exhibition created a dialogue between past and present, celebrating the richness of the East End’s artistic community while honoring the history that shaped it. That balance between legacy and contemporary creativity is central to my vision for the Parrish.
The Hamptons is home to an extraordinary community of artists, patrons, and philanthropists. What have you found most inspiring about the people who support the Parrish?
What inspires me most is the community’s commitment to learning and to one another. The Parrish is, at its core, a learning community. Whether someone is an artist, collector, trustee, student, or first-time visitor, people come here with a genuine openness to exchange ideas.
Despite the extraordinary accomplishments of so many individuals, there is also a remarkable sense of humility. People engage with one another first as neighbors, and our supporters participate because they truly believe in the museum’s mission and the community it creates.
In an age when attention is increasingly divided, what do you think art offers that people need now more than ever?
Art offers inspiration, understanding, and perspective. It helps us better understand ourselves and the world around us, while giving artists the opportunity to express emotions and ideas in ways that can be deeply moving. Art also offers optimism. In uncertain times, artists help us make sense of the present while opening new ways of imagining the future. At the Parrish, we hope every visit is memorable and transformative. The museum’s architecture, the surrounding landscape, and the art itself come together to encourage reflection, discovery, and a deeper connection to both place and creativity.
When visitors leave the Parrish, what do you hope stays with them?
I hope they leave with a sense of inspiration, discovery, and joy. I hope they carry with them a deeper understanding of the East End, a greater appreciation for art, and perhaps a new way of seeing the world around them. Most of all, I hope they leave feeling elevated, having experienced a moment of beauty or insight that stays with them long after their visit.
When you’re not at the museum, where on the East End do you go to feel inspired?
I often find myself in Sag Harbor. It’s such a vibrant cultural hub, full of places where people naturally come together. It has a wonderful sense of community that I find inspiring. I also love spending time at LongHouse Reserve. Walking through the gardens with my family, surrounded by art and nature, is incredibly restorative.
When people think of you 10 years from now, what do you hope they remember about your leadership and impact?
It’s a privilege to serve as Executive Director of the Parrish. My background is in architecture rather than art history, and that has shaped the way I lead. I’m always thinking about what already exists within a place and how to build upon it in ways that serve the community and endure over time. What I hear most often now is that the Parrish feels welcoming—that people feel embraced when they come here. My hope is that this continues: that the museum reaches its full potential, remains relevant to many different audiences, and continues to flourish as a place of connection, learning, and belonging.
What continues to surprise you about yourself, even after all these years in the arts?
The more you know, the more you realize how much there is still to learn. What continues to surprise me most is the vision and resilience of artists. Every studio visit reminds me of their extraordinary capacity to rethink, persevere, and create. And perhaps what surprises me most about myself is that I am still able to be in awe. That sense of wonder has never gone away—it continues to grow.
Eric Viner
