Onna House

The idea behind Lisa Perry’s Onna House is that sometimes, women need to be together for inspiration and camaraderie. Perry, a designer, collector, author, and power broker, is committed to presenting, preserving, and appreciating the work of women artists and designers. In such, she took it upon herself to open a sanctuary, of sorts.

A familiar face on the New York City social circuit, Perry spent the past year lovingly restoring and refurbishing an East Hampton Modernist glass-and-steel home that was designed by Paul Lester Weiner, the German-emigre architect.

The house was originally built in 1962 for Robert and Ethel Scull, huge Andy Warhol patrons. It was a natural fit for a couple who had spent the previous twenty years collecting valuables from the 1960s. In addition, it was the memories of Perry’s childhood home that endeared her to the property that many buyers considered a teardown. As Perry told Avenue, “I felt like I had come home.”

The property’s “good bones” helped with the vision of staying as faithful as possible to the Weiner’s original vision. However making enhancements was necessary. Working with Christine Harper, the pair decided to add larger windows in order to take advantage of the property’s recently landscaped garden. Another vital change was to renovate the guesthouse so that it could be offered as accommodations for visiting artists.

Onna House originally opened this past Memorial Day with a solo exhibition by Mitsuko Asakura, a Japanese textile artist who creates stunning intricately-woven tapestries. However inside Onna House, the non-traditional gallery is home to a well-curated, permanent collection of all forms of art that was made by women. The studio space will showcase a rotating selection of work by female artists and makers from around the world that is hand-selected by Perry.

Courtesy of Surface Magazine, Perry said, “It’s been a delight to see their touch on textiles, ceramics, weavings, pottery, paper, photography, painting, sculpture, and furniture- each has created something truly beautiful and surprising. A main goal of ours is to foster visibility and help the artists sell their work, highlighting those who have been under-recognized and who deserve to be known and celebrated.”

“Onna” means “woman” in Japanese… a name very fitting for this new, exciting, and ambitios endeavor. With a focus solely on female artist and makers, more than twenty women’s sculptures, textile, mixed-media artists, painters, ceramicists, and furniture designer were featured in the inaugural season.

To provide added inspiration and a feeling of collectivity, Perry made sure that the house was full of iconic female-made pieces. Perry’s private collection includes pieces by Toni Ross, Kelly Behun, and Anni Albers… these will hopefully inspire other female artists, as well as help safeguard a special sanctuary.

Even though Perry and her husband have a home they love nearby, once Perry saw the space, she instantly knew she had to own it. Initially, she thought it might be a great location for a studio where she could paint or work in ceramics or textiles. She wasn’t sure… however one thing Perry was certain about is that (courtesy of East Hampton Star) “she wanted to create a collaborative environment where people in any creative field could exchange ideas, work together, or go to be inspired.”

Perhaps most important to Perry is to provide a space where fellow artists can share a cup of tea or discuss different art techniques together. Spending time in the house after construction was complete, Perry quickly realized that “she wanted to have all of her passions together under one roof, which are design, architecture, and support of women in all ways, be it political, philanthropic, or in the arts.”

A final hope is to provide visibility to unknown artists… to those who need help selling their work. With a Japanese aesthetic, Perry searched Japanese and Korean artists for work to collect and show. However it was an East Hampton antiques dealer and friend, Russell Steele, who told her, “Lisa, you are way off in Japan with artists doing this incredible stuff, but there are so many incredible women artists right here in the Hamptons.” So true… there are so many artists who truly deserve to be recognized and celebrated!