Cutchogue NY Old Town Arts & Crafts Guild - This Place Has the Right Techniques - Being Crafty on the North Fork -

By Danny McCarthy

According to an undated 1950s Traveler article, 1300 people signed the guest book at the second of two annual sales held at Community Hall {Belmont Hall} in Southold. Among some of the new patrons of this organization were: Mr. and Mrs. Walter Ebbitt, Mr. and Mrs. Senator (Edward) Ford, Mrs. Grace R. Nickles, and Mr. and Mrs. Leo Roon. The patrons showed their desire to help the members in their efforts to stimulate local craftspeople to produce more and finer wares and to make a market for them.

Most worthy of note of one of one of the outstanding craft articles on display was “the Governor Winthrop desk of walnut and mahogany that was authentic to its minutest detail and finished to bring out every highlight and shadow in the beautiful woods created by Floyd Houston of New Suffolk.” Mrs. Ingrid MacBrian of Shelter Island had her “hooked rug of original design with a row of escallop shells against a border in shades of brown and a crab in each corner.” There was a stenciled tray by Mrs. Ralph Booth, as well as wood and metal craft by William L. Hagen. Mr. Hagen created metalware during the sale “for those interested to see the method used.” Dolls were available by Mrs. Lydia Linton that were made with dried apple heads and ceramic hands and feet on a wire frame body. Mrs. Ruth Brawl had sculptured heads on exhibit during the sale.

Ceramic Stickmen originated by Mrs. Marguerite Hawkins titled “Three O’clock in the Morning,” “Siesta,” “That Ragged Rhythm,” and “The Pixies of 1951” drew much attention. Hand-wrought silver jewelry in unusual patterns and original designs were there as well as hand-painted ceramic and china pieces plus laminated plaques with Long Island scenes. There were stenciled furniture and miniature seagulls that rested in driftwood, stenciled fabrics (aprons, luncheon sets and handkerchiefs), very fine knitwear and dolls of several kinds.

As it turns out, that annual sale is relevant to our story. Southold Township artists and craftsmen met at the Oysterponds Historical Society in Orient on January 16, 1951 after having held their two successful sales in 1950. According to a February 1, 1951 Traveler article, Mrs. Agnes Mothersele was requested by the group to form an organization at the end of the summer sale in August 1950. The January 16, 1951 meeting’s purpose was to organize what is now officially known as the Old Town Arts and Crafts Guild. The organization promotes interest and active participation in various arts and crafts locally. The purpose of the Guild is to stimulate artists and craftsmen and provide an outlet for their wares. There are two types of membership in the Guild – Active and Patrons.

The January 16, 1951 meeting had 29 visitors present and Mrs. Agnes Mothersele was elected president. Mrs. Lydia Linton and George Hallock Jr. were elected vice-presidents. Treasurer elected was Mrs. Owen White. Recording secretary was Mrs. Phil Berry and corresponding secretary was Mrs. Maybelle Booth.

Among the group leaders elected were Miss Judy Hall of Orient, Mrs. Otto Schaffer of East Marion, Mrs. William Worth and Mrs. Malcolm Fletcher of Greenport, Mrs. J. J. Kramer and Mr. Hagen of Southold, Mrs. Harvey Redden and Mrs. Frank Lubbe of Peconic, Mrs. Estelle Gomes of Cutchogue, and Mrs. Marguerite Hawkins and Miss Catherine Howell of Mattituck.

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Lubbe were given a spotlight in an undated article when craftsman Mr. Lubbe participated in a summertime Guild House event. Mr. Lubbe and his wife lived in Peconic and they established a studio and well-established workshop. Among his career highlights is the fact that Mr. Lubbe was formerly a mechanical engineer as well as being a fine craftsman. His mediums included works with metal and plastic: candlesticks, miniature furniture, engine models, and reproductions taken after the artist Thorvaldsen. Mr. Lubbe even designed heads of our presidents in original carvings. Coming from a family of artists, Mrs. Lubbe assists her husband in painting and in the illuminating designs.

Artist Marguerite Moore Hawkins also was part of the event that was written up about. Her credits include being a graduate of the course in Design at Pratt Institute. Among other life-changing credits, Mrs. Hawkins spent a post-graduate year in the Life Class under Henry Prellwitz. Mrs. Hawkins’ paintings are of Long Island and New England scenes.

Old Town Arts and Crafts Guild building opened April 15, 1951.

The Wells house, sometimes known as the Beebe house was leased by the Old Town Arts and Crafts Guild of Southold Township, according to an October 11, 1951 Traveler article. The building was located just east of the North Fork Bank and Trust Company in Cutchogue and is listed as one of the oldest in the township and it was preserved in its original condition. It was just the right place at the right time. The building was planned to be kept open both as a museum and a craft shop and it was to be open from April 15 to October 15 in 1952. There would be regular art and craft on display always and one room was assigned for “one-man” shows, which had a period of three weeks each. The patrons did the sponsoring for the whole project and included: Miss Caroline M. Bell, John Duryee, Mrs. Robert M. Daley, Mrs. George Hamilton Davis, Mrs. Tom Currie-Bell, Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Houston, Mrs. Marguerite Hawkins, Charles P. Hawkins, Mr. and Mrs. Dudley Henderson, Mrs. John S. Jenkins, William H. Kollmer, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur M. Joost, Miss Ruth McAdams, Mrs. Charles (Agnes) Mothersele, Mrs. Leonard Proctor, Miss Kay Terry Salmon, Dr. W. Ormsbee Smith, John Wickham and Miss Julia Wickham.

In September of 1951 the Guild appointed a committee to organize a Junior Group which would be beginning in 1952. The members of this committee were: Chairman, Mrs. Madeline Baker, and members Mrs. Ruth Moffatt, Mrs. Florence Kramer and Mrs. Agatha Fletcher. Children ages eight to 14 were to be eligible as Junior Artists and Craftsmen. Membership fee was to be 50 cents per year. Special projects were being arranged. Work was to be judged, and if passed, the work was to be labeled as junior work and exhibited and sold at the Guild building the next spring and summer. There was also a special contest in painting set up by Guild president Mrs. Mothersele for those high school age. First and second cash prizes were to be available as well as 200 honorable mentions. High-schoolers could submit to a jury of well-known artists and their works would be featured as one of the special exhibitions for three weeks. The rules were to be published March 1, 1952 for this competition.

The 1951 Christmas sale saw over 225 visitors and the Guild was most appreciative of the good will and interest shown by the fine attendance. Southold resident Joseph Hartranft was the lucky winner of a handmade aluminum tray at the event. Among the new patrons of the group that signed up during that sale were: Mrs. Stanton Mott, Israel Kliegman, Mrs. Elliot Moore, Mrs. Tracy Raines, Mrs. Howard Tuthill and Mr. and Mrs. Carroll Newell.

The 1953 September 13 Junior Art Contest Grand Prize winners were announced at a tea and reception. First Prize of $10.00 and a watercolor block was awarded to Miss Alicia Salzmann, age 16, for her painting of a Goat. Miss Adrienne Baker, age 16, won Second Prize for her illustration for the fairy tale “The City Mouse and The Country Mouse.” Second Prize was $5.00 and a canvas. Master Raffy McDermott, age 13, was awarded Third Prize for his canvas of a watercolor titled “A Bay Scene.” First Honorable Mention went to Miss Eve-Ann Jones, age 17, for her seascape “At Horton’s Point.” Second Honorable Mention was awarded to Miss Iris Carroll for her watercolor “Composition with Piano.”

Each contestant was also given a Guild Certificate and a cordial invitation to compete again that next summer. Visitors also voted for popular award winners by placing their selections in a special ballot box that was provided. Those works were hung in the Gallery that summer of 1953 of the chosen winners and included Judy Hall’s watercolor titled “Vacation Days,” W. L. Hagen’s “The Derelict,” and Caroline M. Bell’s “After the Storm,” among others.

As part on the ever ongoing exchanges for artists to share their creations with the folks on the North Fork, the Old Town Arts and Crafts Guild holds special exhibitions. John and Nancy Wissemann had their handiwork on display on Sunday, July 11, 1954 of ceramics and stoneware. John Wissemann received his B.S.A. and master’s degrees from Syracuse in Fine Arts and Education. While in Mexico, he received a master’s degree in art, painting and ceramics while attending the Institute Allende at San Miguel de Allende. In 1953 he was chosen to exhibit in the American Students show for the Mexican president. He entered ceramics at the America House Gallery in New York and these works of ceramic art were immediately accepted and shown in “Young Americans 1954.”?John Wissemann taught in Nassau County in 1953 and in 1954 he began teaching at the Southold Grade and High Schools.

Mrs. Nancy Widrig Wissemann received her B. S. A. from Syracuse University in 1951 and her master’s degree from Ohio University in 1952. Among some of the places she exhibited her work was the Dayton Art Institute.

?Treasurer Mrs. Owen P. (Hazel) White of Nassau Point became president of the Guild in 1954. She was re-elected president in 1955. Gilbert Miner of Southold was elected vice-president in 1955. Mrs. Phil Berry of Mattituck was recording secretary; William Hagen of Southold was corresponding secretary; and treasurer was Mrs. Clarence R. Comes. Mrs. C. E. Bates of Cutchogue, Miss Ruth McAdams of Nassau Point, Arthur L’Hommedieu of Peconic, John Wissemann of Southold and Mattituck resident Otto Kurth were elected directors. Mrs. Edwin Prelliwtz was appointed exhibition chairman by the president of the Guild. Other chairmen appointed included Edwin Prellwitz for the building committee, Mrs. Edgar F. Baumgartner for publicity, Otto Kurth for personnel, and Mrs. Douglas H. Cummings of Southold for jury.

Mrs. White wrote a May 28, 1954 letter of information to patrons and members since so many for various reasons could not attend the business meetings that had covered what the board had done. She remarked that Gil Miner spends all his evening hours sending letters, directives, notices, and all the information and cards relating to the Guild. “In the capable hands of Ed Prellwitz the work of landscaping was placed that he not only planned but did the planting with a very attractive effect.” “The front of the building has new windows, and has been reshingled and painted. The sides and back of the house must be done at some future time, and it is hoped not too distant.”

Trained and experienced instructors are invited to share their talents in classes that the Guild sets up with them. Some classes included over the years were outdoor sketch classes and classes in metal-work. Among some of the instructors have been William L. Hagen, Mr. and Mrs. John Wissemann and William Baxter.

Mr. Hagen was a certified teacher of crafts in the adult education divisions of education in Massachusetts and New York and an instructor of Industrial Arts in the public schools of Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. His early training began at The Royal Academy of Arts & Crafts in Oslo, Norway. His metal-work classes included chasing, pierced work, etching, and free form raised on sand bags or stakes.

William Baxter of Nassau Point initiated a contest involving prizes for those artists who designed residence signs. The signs had to be original and appropriate. The contest was popular in 1953 and 1954.

The 1955 Fall Bulletin shared about Guild president Mrs. Owen P. White’s beautiful metal craft exhibit that was very well received. An exhibition of portraits by noted artist Maurice Korenievsky was held that July at the Guild. “On Thursday evening, July 7th, Mr. Korenievsky gave a portrait demonstration at the Cutchogue Free Library, selecting his model from the audience. Besides being an excellent likeness, the finished portrait revealed the youthful, forward-looking character of the model. Other portraits were on exhibit the following week {at the Guild}.”

In January 1955 there were two outstanding shows by Guild members that were held in exclusive locations. The Division of Graphic Arts at the Smithsonian Institute United States National Museum held a special exhibition of lithographs by Southold summer resident Persis Robertson. George J. Wells, who is known both locally and nationally, designed and executed rugs. Mr. Wells had a special exhibit held under the auspices of The American Craftsmen’s Educational Council, Inc. at the American House Gallery on East 52nd Street in New York City titled “Rugs Without Looms.”

A 1955 needlework craft exhibit was held at the Guild and included aprons, skirts and hooked mats. They were in striking colors and were unusual. An afghan, a stole, a child’s sweater, children’s toys, and a tablecloth in cross-stitch that could be ordered in any color was also available, plus other outstanding articles too numerous to mention. Mrs. Reginald B. Adams, Mrs. Charles E. Bates and Miss Bertha Downs, all of Greenport, Mrs. Edward Donahue, Mrs. Alberta Gadbaw, Mrs. Helen Mott Stawitz, Mrs. Donald Wilson and Mrs. Clark B. Bittner of New Suffolk, and Mrs. William R. Mulford exhibited. Mrs. Ann Cuneo, Mrs. Caroline Fleischauer, Mrs. Elaine Hansen and Mrs. T. G. Rimmer of Cutchogue plus Miss Cora Jackson, Mrs. Arthur Johnson, Mrs. Herbert E. Young and Mrs. Harry C. Young of Mattituck were also exhibitors.

The 1957 Spring Bulletin shared about the Snow Fence Show. “Each summer many of our members look forward to the Snow Fence Sale, where Painters display their work and sell in a colorful atmosphere and the Craftsmen look forward to extra sales indoors.”

Also in 1957, it was noted that distinguished Guild member Stow Wengenroth had a one-man show at the Academy Galleries on Fifth Avenue in New York City in February. The show was titled Twenty-Five Years of Lithography. His lithograph, “Greenport 8 p.m.,” was selected by the Boston Public Library for the Curator’s Choice Exhibition.

George Wells of Southold opened a workshop at Glen Head, Long Island in 1957. Helen Slottman became president of the Catharine Lorillard Wolf Art Club of New York. Ingrid McBrian completed a hooked rug 9 by 15 feet called One World that was for the benefit of the Dorcas and Missionary Societies of the Presbyterian Church of Shelter Island. Mrs. McBrian’s picture along with her hooked rug appeared in the New York Times.

According to the January 1958 Guild bulletin, the building was in its sixth year and the Guild had become “a well-known and well established organization bringing successful activities and financial returns to those with skills and creative ideas.” Iron railings were added to the front steps of the Guild building in 1958. Publicity for that year appeared in local newspapers as well as in the New York Times and the Herald-Tribune.

The officers for the year of 1958 included: President, Mrs. Charles Mothersele; vice-president, Mrs. C. R. Comes; recording secretary, Mrs. Owen P. White; treasurer, Mrs. Walter MacNish Jr.; corresponding secretary, Mrs. Edwin M. Prellwitz; exhibition chairman, John Wissemann; co-chairman, Mrs. Edgar G. Baumgartner; jury chairman, Mrs. Edward Donahue; publicity, Mrs. Arthur S. Moore; historian, Mrs. Ruth McAdams; and hospitality chairman was Mrs. Stanton Mott.

The directors for 1958 were: Mrs. George Hamilton Davis, Mrs. Edward Donahue, Edwin M. Prellwitz, Gilbert Miner, Mrs. Newton Robbins, and Mrs. John Wissemann.

For some time it was felt that the treasurer had been carrying too severe a load, so at the November 1958 Guild meeting, the president proposed a budget on 1956 figures that included an item for a paid bookkeeper for the summer months with a yearly payment of $500 “on our loan.” The January 1958 Bulletin went on to say: “Although the idea of a summer bookkeeper involves an extra expense, our income indicates that we can afford it.”

Among other items on record available are figures of various Guild financial reports. They give a feeling of pride and satisfaction, especially to those members who cannot attend the four regular annual meetings.

John Wissemann gave a message to painters in the January 1958 Bulletin: “You are requested and urged to paint a self-portrait during the winter or early spring for the first show. Serious or amusing, however you like to think of or see yourself, and in any medium.”

According to the 1959 Spring Bulletin, Mrs. C. R. Comes was president. “Estelle Comes has held several important positions, namely: Treasurer, Director, Chairman in charge of personnel and Vice-president, and thus knows every phase of Guild work.”

A 1961 Old Town Arts and Crafts Guild, Inc.?flyer reminds us that the Guild was founded about 10 years prior by a group of civic-minded citizens and that it has flourished and become an integral part of the local cultural scene. The flyer goes on to say that the art galleries provide pleasing displays of paintings in all media. Fabulous handcraft jewelry all but asks to be worn is expressed. It was reported that dolls in every dress abound and exquisite hand-sewn articles are there along with hand-knitted or crocheted items. The flyer states: “Here, many ‘lost’ crafts are found again!”

A small percentage is retained for the upkeep of the Guild House and necessary supplies and all sales go directly to the artists or craftsmen. The Guild has no paid help. Members staff the shop and additional assistance “comes from patrons who offer both moral and financial support, without which the Guild could not exist.”

“The Guild offers items for all ages, purses, and tastes … everything from the small ‘just because I’m thinking of you’ gift to breath-taking paintings for the most discriminating art lover. Always remember – you’re always welcome at the Guild House!” - Thank you. Here’s to you!