Exhibit Showcases Works By Artists, Writers Who Have Played In Softball Game
EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Some of the most famous artists and bestselling authors in the world will be putting down their pens and paint and picking up bats and gloves this summer for the annual Artists vs. Writers softball game – and some participants' finest works will be on display in the Hamptons.
As 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa reported, the artists and writers won't actually take the field at Herrick Park in East Hampton until Aug. 17. But from June 15 through July 28, visitors can come to Guild Hall in East Hampton to see, "They Played the Game," an exhibit showcasing past participants' sketches, sculptures, bestselling books and more are on display this summer at Guild Hall in East Hampton.
Exhibit Showcases Works By Artists, Writers Who Have Played In Softball Game
This marks the 65th year of the Artists and Writers Game.
Curator Christina Strassfield said along with artworks by Willem de Kooning and Franz Kline, there will also be some Oscar-winning material.
"We're going to have Avery Corman's screenplay for 'Kramer vs. Kramer,'" she said.
The Artists vs. Writers Game began as a casual softball game among contemporary artists – many of whom had migrated to eastern Long Island. Writers began joining the artists in the late 1960s, and over time, people of a wide variety of talents began taking to the field, according to a 1997 Ndew York Times report.
An all-star roster of writers, artists, actors, journalists and politicians have participated over the years. Among them have been artist Jackson Pollock; writers Kurt Vonnegut and Peter Maas; actors Alec Baldwin, Dustin Hoffman and Alan Alda; journalists Ben Bradlee, Mort Zuckerman, Walter Isaacson and Gail Sheehy; musician Paul Simon; local TV weatherman Irv "Mr. G" Gikofsky; former Jets football stars Marty Lyons and Wesley Walker; and former Yippies leader and political radical Abbie Hoffman, the New York Times reported.
And former President Bill Clinton umpired the game one year. One must wonder if there were any disputed calls.
"I would love to have been a fly on the wall to have heard what some of these conversations were," Strassfield said.
A signed letter from Clinton to the game participants is also on display.
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