Dan’s Papers is a familiar publication at venues around Long Island. Covering events, people, and places especially on the East End, Dan’s Papers celebrates its 60th year of publication this year. One of the notable features of Dan’s Papers is the art work on each of the covers. The story of how this began and some of the artists who were featured is the subject of the new Reboli Center exhibit Dan’s Covers. The exhibit opens January 30 at the Reboli Center and continues through April 26, 2020.
How did Dan’s Papers start featuring artists on their covers? In 1985 when Lee Krasner died, she asked in her will that her home be preserved as some kind of study center for the art that she and her husband, Jackson Pollack, had done there. Dan Rattiner, the publisher of Dan’s Papers, was selected as the chair of a committee to explore whether the town of East Hampton could arrange to buy the property and turn it into that study center. Dan invited many people from the art world and the community to give their ideas. Six months later, Dan presented a report to Town Supervisor Judith Hope. During the time Dan worked with the committee, he was struck by the enthusiasm of the East End art world. In the end the executors chose Stony Brook University to run the study center, but Dan’s interest in the art community had deepened, and he wanted to help the art community in some meaningful way. In 1987 he decided to showcase the art community by featuring Long Island artists on the covers of Dan’s Papers. Elaine de Kooning was featured on the first cover, and the list of artists since reads like a Who’s Who in the Art World. Joe Reboli’s paintings have been on four covers. This exhibit features the work of 12 artists and their Dan‘s Papers covers.
The artists in the exhibit are Casey Chalem Anderson, Marc Dalessio, Keith Mantell, Lynn Mara, Lynn Matsuoka, Mickey Paraskevas, Dan Pollera, Joe Reboli, Doug Reina, Gia Schifano, Mike Stanko, Ty Stroudsburg and Charles Wildbank.
On February 21 there will be a reception for the artists and the current President and Editorial Director of Dan’s Hamptons Media, Eric Feil, will give a brief talk.