Parrish Art MuseumAbout Parrish Art Museum
The Parrish Art Museum is a museum of American art located in Water Mill in New York’s East End, focused on artists connected to Long Island. The museum relocated to a new, purpose-built facility that opened in 2012 to provide expanded gallery and public spaces.
Permanent and temporary exhibitions highlight paintings, sculpture, photography, and contemporary art tied to regional and national art histories. The building was designed to accommodate large-scale works and to connect interior galleries with outdoor sculpture and landscape.
The institution originated as a regional museum with growing national profile and has emphasized commissions, public programs, and conservation of works by Long Island artists. The 2012 facility marked a shift to a larger campus-scale operation with expanded educational outreach.
The museum sits in Water Mill on the South Fork of Long Island, within easy driving distance of Southampton and other Hamptons communities, set among low-lying coastal terrain and agricultural land.
- 2012 building: The museum moved to a new purpose-built building in Water Mill that opened in 2012, replacing its earlier location and expanding gallery capacity.
- Regional context: Located on the South Fork of Long Island, the site is often included on cultural itineraries that combine galleries with nearby historic and coastal attractions.
What to See#
- Main galleries: Main exhibition galleries housed in a purpose-built building that opened in 2012, designed to display rotating exhibitions of American art with gallery spaces that accommodate large-scale works.
- Outdoor sculpture and grounds: Outdoor grounds and sculpture areas that connect the building to the surrounding Long Island landscape and host site-specific installations.
Best Time to Visit Parrish Art Museum
Visit the Parrish Art Museum in late spring or early autumn to avoid peak Hamptons summer crowds.
Weather & Climate near Parrish Art Museum
Parrish Art Museum's climate is classified as Humid Subtropical - Humid Subtropical climate with warm summers (peaking in July) and freezing winters (coldest in January). Temperatures range from -5°C to 27°C. Abundant rainfall (1169 mm/year), wettest in March, distributed fairly evenly throughout the year.
| Month | Comfort | Temp | Feels | Rain | Sky | Humidity | Wind | UV | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | - | -5° - 3° | -6° | 105 mm | - | - | 5.4 m/s | - | - |
| February | - | -4° - 4° | -5° | 93 mm | - | - | 5.3 m/s | - | - |
| March | - | 0° - 8° | 0° | 111 mm | - | - | 5.3 m/s | - | - |
| April | - | 4° - 14° | 6° | 103 mm | - | - | 5.0 m/s | - | - |
| May | - | 9° - 19° | 14° | 92 mm | - | - | 4.4 m/s | - | - |
| June | - | 14° - 24° | 19° | 81 mm | - | - | 4.1 m/s | - | - |
| July | - | 18° - 27° | 23° | 79 mm | - | - | 3.8 m/s | - | - |
| August | - | 18° - 27° | 22° | 103 mm | - | - | 3.7 m/s | - | - |
| September | - | 14° - 23° | 18° | 92 mm | - | - | 4.0 m/s | - | - |
| October | - | 8° - 17° | 13° | 90 mm | - | - | 4.6 m/s | - | - |
| November | - | 3° - 12° | 4° | 110 mm | - | - | 5.0 m/s | - | - |
| December | - | -2° - 6° | -2° | 110 mm | - | - | 5.2 m/s | - | - |
How to Get to Parrish Art Museum
The Parrish Art Museum is in Water Mill on Long Island’s Montauk Highway (NY‑27A). By car from New York City, follow I‑495 (Long Island Expressway) east, then take local roads to NY‑27A; the drive is roughly 2-2.5 hours depending on traffic (around 100 miles/160 km).
You can also take the Long Island Rail Road to Southampton or Bridgehampton and complete the trip by taxi or local shuttle (the museum is a short drive from those stations). On arrival there is onsite parking; the museum is directly adjacent to Montauk Highway.
Tips for Visiting Parrish Art Museum
- Parrish Art Museum is in Water Mill (the Hamptons) in a light-filled Herzog & de Meuron building-go on a weekday or outside peak summer weekend hours to avoid heavy visitor traffic.
- Save time to see the outdoor sculpture garden and the long north-facing galleries-the light is especially good in the late afternoon for photographing works and views.
- Check the museum website for ticketing or special events before traveling across the Hamptons, as exhibitions and hours can change seasonally.