Author: James Eves

The Rocky Neck Art Colony, in partnership with the Rocky Neck Cultural District, is pleased to announce the third annual Rocky Neck Holiday Art Trek on Saturday, December 13, from 12–5 PM. This festive community event invites visitors to explore the galleries, studios, shops, and restaurants of Gloucester’s historic Rocky Neck Cultural District while discovering unique, locally crafted holiday gifts.

Guests will find a broad selection of original artwork and artisan-made items, including paintings, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, and other one-of-a-kind treasures perfect for holiday giving.

Participants may start their journey at any of the ten participating businesses, where they can pick up a Holiday Art Trek Passport—or download it in advance at www.rockyneckartcolony.org. Visitors who collect stamps from all ten locations are invited to stop by The Salted Cod to enjoy a complimentary cup of hot chocolate and receive a free gift.

Highlights of this year’s Art Trek include: 

·       Artisans Makers Market at Gloucester Stage Company

·       A behind-the-scenes look at tools and techniques at David Calvo Wood Carving Studio

·       Artist demonstrations and live music at the Rocky Neck Cultural Center

·       Local Artisan Market, mulled wine, cider, and pub fare at 51 Rocky Neck Restaurant

·       Holiday gifts and refreshments at East Gloucester Provisions and Moxie Gallery

·       And many more festive stops throughout the district.

For details and to download your Holiday Art Trek Passport, visit www.rockyneckartcolony.org. Join us on Saturday, December 13, and experience the creative spirit and holiday warmth of Rocky Neck.

Join us on facebook for updates

Come get your Christmas and Holiday shopping done while you sip a beverage, listen to music and buy from over 55 local vendors – food gifts, soaps, lotions, artwork, jewelry, home goods, all unique handcrafted items – something for everyone on your list!

Join us on facebook for updates

Come get your Christmas and Holiday shopping done while you sip a beverage, listen to music and buy from over 55 local vendors – food gifts, soaps, lotions, artwork, jewelry, home goods, all unique handcrafted items – something for everyone on your list!

Join us on facebook for updates

Come get your Christmas and Holiday shopping done while you sip a beverage, listen to music and buy from over 55 local vendors – food gifts, soaps, lotions, artwork, jewelry, home goods, all unique handcrafted items – something for everyone on your list!

Thursday, November 6, 2025 | 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM at Tonno Gloucester

Join Discover Gloucester for its Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at Tonno Gloucester. This annual event spotlights the leaders who elevate Gloucester’s visitor economy and celebrates the people and partnerships that make our city a dynamic, year-round destination.

Guests will enjoy a seasonal lunch by Tonno, network with local partners, and hear quick updates on Discover Gloucester’s initiatives and the economic impact of tourism, arts, and culture across the community.

“This event is a celebration of Gloucester’s creative energy and collaborative spirit,” said Amanda Pollock, Executive Director of Discover Gloucester. “Each year we honor those who go above and beyond to make Gloucester welcoming, vibrant, and strong.”

This year’s Award Recipients are:
Exceptional Service Award Laura Dow, The Vista Motel
Cultural Heritage Award Caleb McMurphy, Hammond Castle Museum
Harbor of Learning Award Justin Demetri
Outstanding Appreciation Award Ringo Tarr
Tobin Dominick Award Michael De Koster

Event Schedule:
11:30 AM Registration
11:45 AM Annual Meeting
12:00 PM Lunch
12:15 PM Awards Presentation
1:30 PM Program Concludes

Tickets are $60 per person, inclusive of tax and gratuity. Open seating. Please share any dietary needs in advance at amanda@discovergloucester.com. 

Menu: Seasonal lunch by Tonno featuring salad, entrée, dessert, coffee, and tea. Vegetarian and gluten-free options available upon request.Register at https://resy.com/cities/boston-ma/venues/tonno-gloucester/events/discover-gloucester-2025-11-06.

Media Advisory: Cape Ann Artisans & North Shore Art Association Invite you to a Holiday Pop-Up Art Trifecta! –

We’d so appreciate your support on this collaborative event!   

The Cape Ann Artisans are pleased to join the North Shore Arts Association (NSAA) for its Annual Holiday Pop-Up alongside its two final shows of the season.  While NSAA hosts SYNERGY and a New Members Show, seven of the Artisans will display their work to create a festive marketplace for holiday shopping!

Synergy hosts up to 57 artists showcasing a range of artworks, each in their own windows of wall space combining the collaborative nature of group shows with the individuality of solo shows to create an unforgettable exhibition. 

Alongside these two shows, these Cape Ann Artisans will exhibit their work and invite you to share some festive refreshments to welcome the holiday season!  The exhibiting Artisans include:

Katrina Abbott Ceramics, printed and knitted goods
John Abisamra Fine Art Photography
Tina Frassica Quilting
Jacqueline Ganim-DeFalco Cape Ann Designs – Sea Glass Jewelry & Hair Accessories
Nina Goodick Functional Pottery
Beth Williams Contemporary Art Glass Jewelry and Sculpture
Sara Wright, Hand Woven and Knit Accessories

The seven participating artisans are part of the larger group of 14 juried artisans that host the annual Spring and Fall Cape Ann Artisans Open Studios.   The Artisans have been an integral part of the arts seen since their founding 42 years ago.  Over the years, they have often collaborated to host a holiday event under one roof and exhibit their work out of the studio. This is a unique opportunity to see the artisans together, add to your art collection, and find one-of-a-kind artful gifts.

Member Showcase is Rocky Neck Art Colony’s final exhibition of the season featuring seven distinctive bodies of work by RNAC members – John Bassett, Michelle Champion, Eser Costanza, Joanne Hurd, Patricia Scialo, Brian Murphy, R. D. Murphy – selected by juror Shana Dumont Garr.

Dumont Garr selected works that “possess remarkable vibrancy of color, composition, and method. Some of this vibrancy emerges through palette and medium; others through a sense of whimsy or the handmade.” This exhibition celebrates artistic excellence and innovation across a wide range of media and subjects. By featuring more work from fewer artists, Member Showcase invites viewers to engage more deeply with each artist’s vision and process.

The public is invited to celebrate Member Showcase at the Opening Reception on October 26, 4-6pm. View the art, meet the artists, and enjoy light refreshments and lively conversation.

R. D. Murphy, Cranberry Highway Starts Here; Patricia Scialo, Still Life in Blue With Lace; Joanne Hurd, Pretty Bug Dance; Michelle Champion, Winter Sun; John Bassett, X Acerbate

Show Dates:
October 24 – November 16, 2025 

Opening Reception:
Saturday, October 25, 4-6pm 

Artists Gallery Talk:
Saturday, November 8, 4pm

Next up on the COSMOS Gallery walls, Nella De Luca Lush and Steve Lush — two celebrated artists with uniquely captivating portfolios of work. And yes, partners for life, working in individual artistic directions.  
 

Nella De Luca Lush 
Nella was raised in Southern Italy and paints with a color palette and surface textures that suggest classical influences. And yet, her compositions are elegantly contemporary, distilled into the essence of shapes and elements. Nella describes her genre as “representational abstract” art, blending hints of reality with the freedom of self-expression. Nella Lush 

Nella’s work has been recognized by prestigious art organizations. She is a signature member of the American Society of Marine Artists and the National Association of Women Artists, where she founded the Massachusetts Chapter. Her art is part of collections worldwide and has been exhibited at venues such as the Noyes Museum of Contemporary Art, Mystic Seaport Maritime Gallery, and Whistler House Museum. Nella is represented by White Room Gallery in NY, Centre Street Gallery in Nantucket, Cortile Gallery in Provincetown, and Thornhill Gallery in NH. 

Steve Lush 
Steve acquired an early joy of drawing from the cartoon works of Saul Steinberg in the New Yorker magazine. His subsequent passion for art blossomed in many different mediums. He was drawn to the world of model ship building, and explored watercolors, oils, collage, mixed media and welded steel sculpture. Each medium became a steppingstone in his evolution as an artist. Steve Lush  

Steve is a member of the American Watercolor Society, the Transparent Watercolor Society of America, the American Society of Marine Artists (ASMA), the New England Watercolor Society (NEWS), and the New England Sculptors Association (NESA). Steve’s art is part of many private and corporate collections throughout the United States and Italy, including the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the Museum of America and the Sea, Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT., the Coast Guard Art Program (COGAP), The Heritage Asset Collection at the Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT. ,the Noble Maritime Museum, Staten Is., NY., and the Customs House Maritime Museum, Newburyport, MA. 

The artists share a gallery in SoWa, 450 Harrison, Boston MA. 

An Ongoing Dialogue Exhibition 

The COSMOS Gallery exhibition will feature a wide selection of artworks by the two artists, representing their evolution over the years. The range will include large oil paintings along with more modestly priced works on paper. The COSMOS Gallery show is their first joint exhibition in many years.  

COSMOS Gallery, Gloucester 

COSMOS Gallery opened February 2025, with frequent exhibitions for mostly regional artists and no constraints on aesthetic genres. The gallery is an extension on the Cape Ann COSMOS media platform and mission to enrich the good cultural life!  

COSMOS Gallery 
20 Pleasant Street 
Gloucester, Massachusetts 01930 

www.cosmos-gallery.com

The Ipswich Cultural Council (ICC) will be hosting the 39th Annual Ipswich Art Show & Sale on October 17–19, 2025 at the Ipswich Town Hall Gym, 25 Green Street, Ipswich, MA

Opening reception: October 17th at 6pm

The Ipswich Art Show and Sale showcases local artists and raises funds for the Ipswich Cultural Council, which in turn funds Ipswich community arts, humanities, and science grants. The Ipswich Cultural Council is a local, appointed council that works in concert with Mass Cultural Council to create cultural opportunities for the people of Ipswic

Member Showcase

Location: The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester

Dates: Friday, October 24 – Sunday, December 8

Opening Reception: October 26, 4-6 PM

Gallery Hours: Friday, Saturday, Sunday: Noon – 5 PM

Free

Gloucester MA — ROCKY NECK ART COLONY (RNAC) announces its final exhibition of the season, Member Showcase, featuring seven distinctive bodies of work by RNAC members, selected by juror Shana Dumont Garr.

Dumont Garr selected works that “possess remarkable vibrancy of color, composition, and method. Some of this vibrancy emerges through palette and medium; others through a sense of whimsy or the handmade.”  This exhibition celebrates artistic excellence and innovation across a wide range of media and subjects. By featuring more work from fewer artists, Member Showcase invites viewers to engage more deeply with each artist’s vision and process.

Shana Dumont Garr is a contemporary art curator, writer, and educator based in Greater Boston. She is a curator at Emerson Contemporary and a professor in the Department of Visual & Media Arts at Emerson College. Previously she served as curator of Fruitlands Museum in Harvard where she co-curated the New England Triennial at Fruitlands at the deCordova Sculpture Park + Museum. She also held curatorial positions at Kingston Gallery, Boston and  Montserrat College of Art, Beverly and UNC Chapel Hill.

The public is invited to celebrate Member Showcase at the Opening Reception on October 26, 4-6 PM. View the art, meet the artists, and enjoy light refreshments and lively conversation. 

Exhibiting Artists: John Bassett, Michelle Champion, Eser Costanza, Joanne Hurd, Patricia Scialo, Brian Murphy, R. D. Murphy.

The Rockport galleries invite you to join us this Saturday, October 11th,  from 5:00-8:00 pm for the last Second Saturday ArtWalk of 2025. This is your chance to meet the artists while you sip and stroll around the seaside village of Rockport. Visit www.RockportArtwalk.com for a list of participating galleries and an interactive map. 

A Group Exhibition Exploring the Space Between Solitude, Nature, and the Creative Process

Closing Reception: Sunday, October 12th at 5pm

Exhibition Dates: September 18 – October 13, 2025
Location: Cove Gallery, 37 Rocky Neck Avenue, Gloucester, MA

Rocky Neck Art Colony is pleased to present INTER / PLAY, a group exhibition bringing together five Cape Ann-based artists—Morgan Dyer, Amanda Bittner, Vanessa Michalak, Elissa Lincoln, and Maia Mattson—to explore the dynamic relationships between solitude, nature, and the creative process. The exhibition unfolds across two interconnected gallery spaces, each offering a distinct entry point into the artists’ practices. The first space features a curated selection of framed works, introducing viewers to each artist’s dialogue with the natural world. Here, themes of structure, rhythm, and personal connection emerge.

From there, boundaries begin to dissolve. In the second room, paintings and sculptural forms break open, overlap, and collide. Texture and scale shift dramatically, creating a visceral experience that echoes the unpredictability of nature, time, and material. Each artist contributes a distinct voice to this evolving conversation:

Morgan Dyer’s layered paintings and sculptural pieces—shaped by outdoor surfaces—evoke the interplay of control and surrender found in Cape Ann’s coastal terrain.

Amanda Bittner and Vanessa Michalak translate plein air experiences into works that capture the immediacy of shifting light and atmosphere.

Elissa Lincoln crafts memory-laced paper collages that reassemble fragments of landscapes into new forms.

Maia Mattson, working with foraged botanicals, builds immersive environments that explore cycles of impermanence and renewal.

At the heart of INTER / PLAY is a collaborative, site-responsive installation co-created by all five artists. This shared piece acts as a living culmination of the themes explored throughout the show—where materials, gesture, and intuition converge. 

About Rocky Neck Art Colony Founded in 1855, Rocky Neck Art Colony is one of the oldest continuously operating art colonies in the United States. Located in Gloucester, Massachusetts, it is home to a vibrant community of artists and cultural organizations. Through exhibitions, residencies, and educational programs, RNAC fosters creativity, collaboration, and connection with the wider community.

INTER / PLAY
A Group Exhibition Exploring the Space Between Solitude, Nature, and the Creative Process

Exhibition Dates: September 18 – October 13, 2025
Location: Cove Gallery, 37 Rocky Neck Avenue, Gloucester, MA

Rocky Neck Art Colony is pleased to present INTER / PLAY, a group exhibition bringing together five Cape Ann-based artists—Morgan Dyer, Amanda Bittner, Vanessa Michalak, Elissa Lincoln, and Maia Mattson—to explore the dynamic relationships between solitude, nature, and the creative process. The exhibition unfolds across two interconnected gallery spaces, each offering a distinct entry point into the artists’ practices. The first space features a curated selection of framed works, introducing viewers to each artist’s dialogue with the natural world. Here, themes of structure, rhythm, and personal connection emerge.

From there, boundaries begin to dissolve. In the second room, paintings and sculptural forms break open, overlap, and collide. Texture and scale shift dramatically, creating a visceral experience that echoes the unpredictability of nature, time, and material. Each artist contributes a distinct voice to this evolving conversation:

Morgan Dyer’s layered paintings and sculptural pieces—shaped by outdoor surfaces—evoke the interplay of control and surrender found in Cape Ann’s coastal terrain.

Amanda Bittner and Vanessa Michalak translate plein air experiences into works that capture the immediacy of shifting light and atmosphere.

Elissa Lincoln crafts memory-laced paper collages that reassemble fragments of landscapes into new forms.

Maia Mattson, working with foraged botanicals, builds immersive environments that explore cycles of impermanence and renewal.

At the heart of INTER / PLAY is a collaborative, site-responsive installation co-created by all five artists. This shared piece acts as a living culmination of the themes explored throughout the show—where materials, gesture, and intuition converge. 

About Rocky Neck Art Colony Founded in 1855, Rocky Neck Art Colony is one of the oldest continuously operating art colonies in the United States. Located in Gloucester, Massachusetts, it is home to a vibrant community of artists and cultural organizations. Through exhibitions, residencies, and educational programs, RNAC fosters creativity, collaboration, and connection with the wider community.