Hamptons Juried names Mark Wilson Best in Show and Adam L. Straus Juror’s Choice

Hamptons Juried has awarded its inaugural exhibition, The Energy of Light, to East End artists Mark Wilson and Adam L. Straus at ARC Fine Art in Amagansett. Wilson won Best in Show and a future solo exhibition, while Straus received a $1,000 Juror’s Choice Award as the show continues through Nov. 28.

Why it matters: - The inaugural Hamptons Juried exhibition is giving East End artists a selective platform and public recognition at ARC Fine Art in Amagansett. - The awards also signal which local artists are resonating with jurors and collectors around the theme of coastal light. - A portion of proceeds benefits the Springs Food Pantry.

What happened: - Hamptons Juried announced the winners of its first exhibition, The Energy of Light, on Oct. 30 at ARC Fine Art. - Mark Wilson won Best in Show for Passing Summer Storm (2022). - Adam L. Straus won the Juror’s Choice Award and $1,000 for Clouds 1 (2022). - Wilson will receive a solo exhibition at ARC Fine Art in spring 2027. - The opening drew a standing-room crowd.

The details: - Passing Summer Storm shows a summer storm breaking over an expansive landscape, with trees anchoring the composition and clouds dissolving into splashes and drips of paint. - Wilson said the work focused on the quality of light and drew on paintings by William Merritt Chase and Thomas Moran made on the East End. - Clouds 1 depicts drifting clouds in gold and amber against a deep blue sky. - Straus said the work was intended to capture light just before dark, when the sky glows before fading. - Adrienne Ruger Conzelman served as juror for the Juror’s Choice Award. - Kurt Giehl, co-founder of Hamptons Juried, said the range and strength of submissions exceeded expectations. - Giehl said both winning works captured the power, atmosphere and emotional quality of light. - David Netto, one of the jurors, said the East End art community is thriving and praised the breadth of talent across the submissions. - The exhibition features paintings, sculpture and mixed-media works by artists from the North and South Forks. - All works in the exhibition are available for purchase. - Wölffer Estate Vineyard sponsors the exhibition.

Between the lines: - The awards show Hamptons Juried leaning into a clear curatorial identity: East End art rooted in landscape, light and regional history. - The mix of juror praise, a cash prize and a promised solo show gives the exhibition more weight than a typical group show. - The strong turnout suggests the inaugural event reached beyond the artist community and into the local collector base.

What's next: - Visitors can vote for the People’s Choice Award through Nov. 28. - The winner will be announced at the closing reception on Saturday, Nov. 28, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. - Coffee with the Artists will run on Saturdays in November: Nov. 7, 14 and 21 from 10 to 11 a.m. - The exhibition remains on view through Nov. 28 at ARC Fine Art, 26 Montauk Highway, Amagansett. - Exhibiting artists are listed at hamptonsjuried.com.

The bottom line: - Hamptons Juried’s debut show is positioning itself as a serious East End art venue, with winners, public voting and a follow-on solo exhibition already building momentum.