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ARTS CENTER AT DUCK CREEK INC
EAST HAMPTON, NY · EIN 824365451 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE A20 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Small ($100K-$1M) · duckcreekarts.org
revenue
$260K
expenses
$256K
net assets
$128K
employees
1
program ratio
67%
mission · from form 990

THE MISSION OF THE ARTS CENTER AT DUCK CREEK IS TO CONTINUE JOHN LITTLE'S LEGACY BY ORGANIZING, PROMOTING AND PRESENTING CONTENPORARY PROGRAMMING IN THE VISUAL, LITERARY AND PERFORMING ARTS AT THE JOHN LITTLE BARN AND THE GROUNDS AT DUCK CREEK FARM FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE EAST HAMPTON COMMUNITY

profile · synthesized from sources

The Arts Center at Duck Creek is a nonprofit arts organization based in East Hampton, NY, operating on the historic Duck Creek Farm. It presents contemporary visual, literary, and performing arts programming in a restored 19th-century barn, once the studio of artist John Little. The center offers free, seasonal events and exhibitions from May to October, fostering community engagement and honoring the region's cultural legacy.

named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

Exhibition Program
Seasonal visual art exhibitions in the John Little Barn and Little Gallery, featuring contemporary artists and curated proposals
Music Series at Duck Creek
Curated live music performances held seasonally; programming details not open to public proposals
Residual Light
Group exhibition featuring female artists working with alternative and camera-less photographic processes; includes hands-on demos and artist talks
Summer Internship Program
Paid internships offering hands-on experience in operations and public programming at a multidisciplinary arts organization
activities · 5 groups

What they do

  • Community Festival & Event Production 2 activities
    • Hosting annual community art events
      Produces recurring public events such as the Airing of the Quilts, held annually on May 3, which includes quilt displays, workshops, and community participation in creating the annual Duck Creek Community Quilt. The event fosters community engagement through shared creative practices and celebrates local artistic traditions.
    • Operating seasonal fine arts programming
      Develops and runs multidisciplinary arts programming annually from May 1 to October 31 at historic Duck Creek Farm, featuring visual art exhibitions, literary events, and performing arts. Also extends musical programming into the off-season through initiatives like a winter music series at Sagaponack Farm Distillery.
  • Curated Art Exhibitions and Public Displays 1 activity
    • Curating and hosting visual art exhibitions
      Organizes and presents solo and group exhibitions in the visual arts at the John Little Barn and grounds at Duck Creek Farm, including public receptions, artist talks, and themed programming such as "Residual Light," "Second Nature," and solo shows by artists like Jorge Rios, Avani Patel, Brent Richardson, and Pam Brown. Exhibitions are hosted seasonally from May to September and include collaborative projects with curators such as Julian Schnabel.
  • Community Art Education Workshops 1 activity
    • Delivering hands-on public art programs and workshops
      Provides free, participatory creative experiences including cyanotype and lumen print demonstrations, cyanotype quilt square workshops led by Andrea Cote, and other interactive events that allow attendees to create and take home original artworks. These programs are integrated with exhibitions and community events such as the Airing of the Quilts.
  • Artist Legacy Preservation and Documentation 1 activity
    • Managing open call for artist proposals and maintaining exhibition archives
      Conducts an annual open call for exhibition and program proposals from September 1 to October 1, notifies applicants of decisions by January 10, and maintains a publicly accessible archive of past exhibitions on its website to document artistic and cultural contributions.
  • Arts and Cultural Workforce Training 1 activity
    • Providing paid summer internships in arts administration
      Offers paid internships during the summer season that provide hands-on experience in managing a multidisciplinary arts organization, with a focus on access, artistic experimentation, and community connection.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$260K
Contributions & grants$260K100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$30%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$256K
Program expenses67%
Admin / overhead27%
Fundraising6%
Salaries & benefits$101K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$131K
Cash$131K
Investments$0
Liabilities$3K
Net assets$128K
Liquid reserves6.1 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -12.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
JESS FROST President 40 $95K
board members · 5
  • HELEN HARRISON — Secretary
  • IRA BAROCAS — Director
  • JENNIFER CROSS — Director
  • JUDITH HASELTON — Treasurer
  • LORING BOLGER — Vice President
relationships · 19

Who they work with

  • Andrea Cote Partner — 2026 Duck Creek exhibitor leading cyanotype quilt square workshops at the Airing of the Quilts event.
  • Andrea Cote Partner — Co-curated the "Residual Light" exhibition and co-led a hands-on demonstration at the Arts Center at Duck Creek.
  • Avani Patel Partner — Presented a solo exhibition and hosted an artist talk in collaboration with artist Avani Patel.
  • Galina Kurlat Partner — Co-curated the "Residual Light" exhibition and led a hands-on demonstration at the Arts Center at Duck Creek.
  • John Little Barn Partner — Hosts exhibitions in the historic John Little Barn, integrating the building's agricultural heritage with contemporary art.
  • Jorge Rios Partner — Presented solo exhibition and artist talk at the Arts Center at Duck Creek.
  • Julian Schnabel Partner — Collaborated with the Arts Center at Duck Creek as a guest curator for a two-part exhibition.
  • Kate W. Cassidy Foundation Funder — Provides financial support for the Arts Center at Duck Creek's programs.
  • Louise Eastman Partner — Local artist who initiated the Airing of the Quilts tradition at Duck Creek and leads the creation of the annual Community Quilt.
  • New York State Council on the Arts Funder — Provides funding with support from the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature to enable free programming.
  • Pam Brown Partner — Featured artist Pam Brown in an exhibition at the Little Gallery.
  • Sagaponack Farm Distillery Partner — Hosted the Arts Center at Duck Creek's winter music series during seasonal closure.
  • Singer Fund Funder — Supports the Arts Center at Duck Creek alongside Robert and Maryann Singer.
  • Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning Funder — Provides support through Suffolk County Legislator Ann Welker for the Arts Center at Duck Creek.
  • Town of East Hampton Government — Holds a License Agreement with the Arts Center at Duck Creek that governs use of the historic buildings and grounds.
  • Town of East Hampton Government — Partnered with the Town of East Hampton to restore and adapt the Duck Creek Farm property as an arts center.
  • Town of East Hampton Government — Purchased Historic Duck Creek Farm with Community Preservation Funds and supports its operation as an arts center.
  • Will Shott Gallery Partner — Collaborated with or coordinated programming related to Brent Richardson, who had a solo show at Will Shott Gallery in NYC.
  • Willem de Kooning Foundation Funder — Supports the Arts Center at Duck Creek's programming and operations.
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Artist-Public Integration Through Intentional Design
    methodology: artist-public_integration
    By aligning artists' intentions with public understanding through curatorial and programmatic choices, the organization enhances engagement, because reducing the interpretive gap between artist and audience fosters deeper meaning-making and accessibility.
  • Community-Engaged Arts Programming
    methodology: community-engaged_arts
    By offering free and inclusive arts programming rooted in local cultural heritage, the organization builds community and deepens public engagement with art, because shared creative experiences foster connection, intergenerational storytelling, and broader access to artistic expression.
  • Place-Based and Legacy-Driven Engagement
    methodology: place-based_community_engagement
    By situating arts programming within the historic and ecological context of Duck Creek Farm and honoring the legacy of John Little, the organization creates a sense of continuity and belonging, because place-rooted narratives strengthen community identity and cultural resonance.
  • Process-Centered Artistic Practice as Contemplative Engagement
    methodology: slow-making_contemplative_engagement
    By emphasizing slow, experimental, and material-driven processes in art-making—such as camera-less photography and craft recontextualization—the organization cultivates mindfulness and expanded perception, because tactile, time-intensive creation invites both artist and viewer into reflective, anti-consumerist modes of being.