Guild Hall in East Hampton reopens its galleries on Sunday, Nov. 8, with the 86th edition of an exhibition that has run since 1938. The Artist Members Exhibition is, according to the museum, the oldest non-juried museum exhibition on Long Island, and this year it fills the galleries at 158 Main Street with more than 300 works through Jan. 10.

How a non-juried show works

Non-juried means nobody screens the entries out. The exhibition is open to Guild Hall's artist members, and it hangs in the manner of a traditional salon, with work by established artists shown beside that of emerging artists and first-time exhibitors. A wide range of mediums share the walls, and artists can sell their work through the show. Guild Hall describes it as a way for the community to see and support the artists who live and work in the region.

A Whitney curator picks the prize

Each year the museum brings in an outside art professional to choose the Top Honors Award and Honorable Mentions. This year's selections are by Marcela Guerrero, the DeMartini Family Curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art and a co-curator of the 2026 Whitney Biennial, the 82nd edition of that survey. Guerrero, born and raised in Puerto Rico, curated the Whitney's 2022-23 exhibition of Puerto Rican art made after Hurricane Maria.

The Top Honors winner receives a future solo exhibition at Guild Hall.

Last edition's winner opens the same day

That prize is visible on Sunday too. Opening alongside the members show is Michael A. Butler: Somewhere in Time, a solo exhibition by the artist who won Top Honors at the 2024 Artist Members Exhibition. It also runs Nov. 8 through Jan. 10.

Butler is a Sag Harbor artist, historian and documentarian whose family has been connected to Sag Harbor for seven generations. He is self-taught, works mainly in acrylic and calls his style narrative folk art, often at a very small scale. He has served on the board of the Eastville Community Historical Society for more than 20 years and chairs the St. David AME Zion Church Cemetery.

The members show is organized by Melanie Crader, Guild Hall's museum director and curator of visual arts. The museum has been accredited by the American Alliance of Museums since 1973.

Hours and admission

The galleries have been closed since Oct. 26 for installation and reopen Sunday. Starting Nov. 8, the museum, box office and coffee bar are open Thursday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Museum admission is $12, or $10 for seniors 65 and older, and free for members, children and students.

How to go

Guild Hall, 158 Main Street, East Hampton, 631-324-0806. The 86th Artist Members Exhibition and Michael A. Butler: Somewhere in Time run Nov. 8 through Jan. 10, Thursday to Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Details on the Guild Hall site.

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