Author: James Eves

DATE: Monday, August 12-Friday, August 16 9AM-12PM 

PLACE: Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson St., Gloucester, MA

Young artists will enjoy five classes in painting, pastels, colored pencils, comics, and ceramics. The classes will be taught by professional Rocky Neck artists who bring a depth of knowledge and passion for artistic expression to their work. Our small workshop group will enable students to receive individual attention in a relaxed, FUN, and welcoming space!  For more details, visit our website:

Here is a direct link to the sign-up site:

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/1bd7a133-ea60-45b3-995c-ef95fc75037e

Contact: RNACprograms@gmail.com

                (978) 515-7004

D’wharf Art:  

77 Rocky Neck Avenue unit #4 
Hours:  
Friday – Sunday 12-5.  Thursday 12-7 and by appointment: 508-380-9630
Opening Reception:  
Thursday June 20, 5-7

A new contemporary art gallery is opening its doors on Madfish Wharf!   D’Wharf is a small, yet inviting space, exhibiting fresh and intriguing art by established artists particularly inspired by the beauty and essence of Cape Ann.

Curated by Anne Gilson, a painter and a new resident of Gloucester and member of the RNAC, the exhibit also features works by Claire Bean, Donna Caselden, Pam Courtleigh, Bredt Handy, Juliet Lockwood, Carolyn Plourde, and Dawn Southworth.

The gallery will have its first official opening reception Thursday June 20th, 5-7.  All are welcome to mingle and enjoy refreshments with the artists in one of the most beautiful and dynamic areas in Gloucester.  

General hours will be 12-7 Thursday; 12-5 Friday-Sunday and will be available by appointment as well. 

With all of the changes on Rocky Neck over the years, it’s exciting to see a new surge of cultural vitality.  D’Wharf, along with neighboring art studios, restaurants, and galleries, is delighted to be a part of it. 

The Volker Goetze Quartet, featuring musicians Volker Goetze, world renowned Sri Lankan drummer Uthpala Eroshan, Oran Etkin, and Alexis Cuadrado, will return to Manship Artists Residency for a performance entitled, Musical Crossroads on June 15. The new musical compositions were born at the Manship Artists Residency in 2023. 

The work transforms ancient Sri Lankan folk tales inspired by Kandyan traditional dances into a contemporary context. They highlight stories of reincarnation, sacrifice, and selfless devotion. Each musician brings his own richly informed cultural intelligence to the group’s sound. A gorgeous experiment in cross-cultural collaboration, Musical Crossroads brings together the traditions of Jazz and Kandyan percussion to create a new musical vision.

The Volker Goetze Quartet is a recipient of a 2023 grant from Chamber Music America’s Artistic Projects program, funded through the generosity of The Howard Gilman Foundation. The performance and residency are supported by The Prometheus Circle of the Manship Artists Residency and Ken Kinna. 

This special performance will take place Saturday, June 15 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. It is a fundraiser for Manship Artists Residency. Tickets are $75/person. To register please go to the Manship Artists Residency website at ManshipArtists.org. 

ABOUT the VOLKER GOETZE QUARTET

Volker Goetze is an artist, composer, and trumpeter. In 2023 he united bassist Jonathan Toscano, Sri Lankan drummer Uthpala Eroshan, and clarinetist Oran Etkin to compose the globally focused Musical Crossroads at Manship Artists Residency. Their work consists of arrangements of traditional melodies and original compositions by Volker Goetze. This June, Volker Goetze, Uthpala Eroshan, and Oran Etkin will return to Manship Artists Residency with composer, producer, bandleader, bassist and educator Alexis Cuadrado to perform their new compositions. www.volkergoetze.com/quartet 

ABOUT the MANSHIP ARTISTS RESIDENCY 

The site of the Manship Artists Residency was once the summer retreat of Paul Manship, the sculptor of the Prometheus Fountain at Rockefeller Center. Many of the same opportunities and qualities that attracted Manship to Cape Ann are available to those who come here seeking solitude or community in this restorative landscape. Manship Artists Residency gives artists and the creative spirit time and space to flourish for the benefit of our community by welcoming artists and thought leaders from around the world to work in these serene surroundings steps away from the scenic northeast coast of New England. Our residents magnify the social capital and the cultural value of Cape Ann, and our innovative programming contributes to the health and vitality of our community and beyond. ManshipArtists.org

Workshops and Events featuring the
• Distinguished Artist/Teacher Sarah McEneaney
• Environmental/Installation Artist in Residence Caroline Bagenal
• Gloucester Invitational Artist Loren Doucette.

Sunday, August 4 at 2:00 PM
Distinguished Artist/Teacher Talk with Sarah McEneaney,
Cape Ann Museum 
27 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, MA

Monday, August 5 – Thursday, August 8, 10AM – 2PM
Artist Workshop with Sarah McEneaney,
Montserrat College of Art 
35 Essex Street, Beverly, MA
Paid workshop, advanced signup required
Intensive Workshop Registration via Zeffy

Wednesday, September 11, 7PM
Environmental Installation Artist Talk with Caroline Bagenal,
The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck 
6 Wonson Street, Gloucester

Wednesday, October 1, time to be determined
Environmental Installation Closing Talk with Caroline Bagenal,
Ocean Alliance 
32 Horton Street, Gloucester

Thursday, October 10, 7 PM
Gloucester Invitational Artist Opening Talk with Loren Doucette,
The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck 
6 Wonson Street, Gloucester

Sunday, November 3, 1 – 3 PM
Gloucester Invitational Artist Closing Studio Viewing and Informal Talk with Loren Doucette,
Cripple Cove Studios
97 East Main Street, Gloucester

All Talks Free and Open to the Public

The Rocky Neck Art Colony (RNAC) announces an exciting slate of public events featuring awardees of the 20^th annual Goetemann Artist Residency program: Sarah McEneaney as the Distinguished Artist/Teacher in Residence, Caroline Bagenal as the Environmental Installation Artist, and Loren Doucette as the Gloucester Invitational Artist.

About The Distinguished Artist/Teacher in Residence: 

Sarah McEneaney’s paintings are autobiographical narratives.  She makes detailed and highly colored paintings of personal events, from the mundane to the horrific. She records the daily life of an artist actively engaged in the world. The scenes, moments and details are as carefully selected and edited as the formal decisions of color, line and perspective.

Her workshop will focus on developing the independent visual voice of each student through one-on-one critiques, group discussions of work, and technical guidance.  Students can expect a lively environment of experimentation and imagery drawn from a variety of sources. 

She will give a talk on August 4 at 2:00 PM, to be held in the Cape Ann Museum, 27 Pleasant St. in Gloucester.

The Workshop will be held at Montserrat College in Beverly, Monday, August 5 through Thursday, August 8 from 10 AM to 2 PM 

For more information and to register for the workshop, visit: WORKSHOP LINK GOES HERE. Space is limited.

About the Environmental Installation Artist:

Caroline Bagenal was born in Scotland and lives in Newburyport, MA, and Cumbria in the UK. She has an MFA in Painting and an MA in Modern Art History, Theory and Criticism from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work has been shown widely in both the UK and the USA including The Maritime Museum in Liverpool and OIA Gallery, New York. Her work has been reviewed in Boston Art Review, Sculpture Magazine, The Boston Globe, Art New England, Artscope and other publications and is included in both private and corporate collections. She has received numerous awards and artists residencies, most recently in 2023 at Cove Park, Scotland. She was an Associate Professor at Montserrat College of Art for twenty-five years.

In August 2021, Caroline fell off her bike and broke both arms and her jaw. Swimming outdoors became an important part of her recovery and the origin of a new body of work. She made her first swimming sculptures from recycled nets, and then larger swimming sculptures from recycled woven plastic, bubble wrap and other materials that float.

For the Goetemann Residency, her intent is to continue the swimming sculpture project, taking it in new directions. She is planning to make a film using drones to better convey the idea of the swimmer as part of a vast ocean environment. Her father was a marine biologist, and she plans to use some of his research in this project as a homage to him. Bagenal will present two Public Artist Talks: 

Introductory opening talk:  Wednesday, September 11, 7-8:30 PM at The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck

Closing presentation and Q&A: Tuesday, October 1, time, tbd at Ocean Alliance,  

For more information, visit https://rockyneckartcolony.org/2024-goetemann-artist-residency/

About the Gloucester Invitational Artist:

Loren Doucette lives in Gloucester, MA working as a full-time painter. Her work has shown in solo and group exhibitions since 2006. She received a BFA in Drawing and Painting in 2013 from Montserrat College of Art where she participated in Montserrat’s study-abroad program in Italy. It was there that landscape painting became a stabilizing force in her work. Using Oil, Acrylic, Pastel and Gouache, her work includes architectural landscapes unique to Gloucester’s harbor, vibrant floral paintings, emotional figurative work and abstractions that come from the bones of all three subjects.

In her words: 

“My work is a search, an asking, a prayer. Even though the subjects are sometimes recognizable as landscape, flowers or figures, it is about recalibration, remembering, revisiting, reconstruction and discovery. I mainly use three mediums: oil, acrylic and pastel. I use oil for it’s heaviness; the messy squishing and sloshing takes me to more unruly places than acrylic can.  I use acrylic on the other hand for it’s vibrancy. It’s quick drying qualities allow me to draw into the work in between paint layers. Finally, pastel is where I draw and construct from flowers and landscape with overlying abstraction and color experimentation.

Within all these mediums, I am searching for a new discovery to unfold both in the materials and spiritual content.”

Loren will give a talk about her work and career at The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck on Thursday, October 10 at 7PM and will welcome people into her Cripple Cove Studio for a closing talk and viewing on Sunday, November 3 from 1-3PM.

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The Rocky Neck Art Colony, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, nurtures excellence in the arts through exhibitions, workshops, residencies and vibrant cultural events for its members and the public. Long renowned for its luminous light, this harbor and coastal location has been a magnet for some of the most revered realist painters in US art such as Edward Hopper and Emil Gruppe and has also been a catalyst for the progressive ideas of Stuart Davis, Marsden Hartley, Theresa Bernstein, Milton Avery and Nell Blaine, among others. Today, Rocky Neck continues to attract artists and art lovers to a thriving, creative community. www.rockyneckartcolony.org. Telephone: 978-515-7004.

The fine art galleries of Rockport are launching a new series of events this summer, the Rockport 2nd Saturday Art Walks. Beginning June 8, participating galleries throughout downtown Rockport will be welcoming art lovers from 5 to 8pm each 2nd Saturday of the month, with refreshments, new artwork, and fresh exhibits.

Spearheaded by Gallery Montanaro and Rusty & Ingrid Screenprints, a committee of gallery owners are organizing the events and have received an enthusiastic response from additional galleries wishing to participate. Ashley Montanaro comments, “Rockport has a thriving art community with an extraordinary number of galleries in easy walking distance to one another. We’re excited about the opportunity to enhance the art destination experience of Rockport with the launching of our 2nd Saturdays Art Walk.”

A wide range of artwork, including painting, printmaking, photography, pottery, and sculpture, will be on view. In addition, the Rockport Art Association & Museum will be extending their normal hours to 8pm for the Art Walk evenings, offering rotating exhibits of artist members and selections from their historic museum collection.

The event’s website, www.rockportartists.com , has an interactive map where visitors can find information about and the locations of each of the participating art galleries.

Manship Artists Residency is pleased to announce The Quarry Project: Photographs by Tsar Fedorsky, which opens at the Manship Artists Residency on Friday, June 7 and runs through July 7. The Quarry Project is a continuation of Manship Artist Tsar Fedorsky’s twenty-year practice investigating the properties of black-and-white photography and how it creates abstraction from realism. Begun in 2016, the more recent quarry photographs are a study of duality and tension. They comprise a deep exploration of the familiarity of place, the quarries near Fedorsky’s home in Gloucester. 

Fedorsky explains the meaning behind her work, “ [The photographs] straddle a space between truth and fiction, between the exterior and interior, between fact and dream…We think we are looking up, yet we are really looking down. We think we see the sky, but instead we see the water. What appears to be a mountain, is actually a rock. With the pandemic, war, the dire effects of climate change, and a dangerous political theater — meaning is breaking down, language has lost its meaning, and we are left in a perpetual state of questioning. The Quarry Projectembraces this confusion, allows for projection and the possibility that a negative space can be beautiful.”

Tsar first worked with Manship Artists Residency in 2020. She collaborated with Marc Zegans, a California-based poet. Due to the pandemic, Zegans was unable to be physically present for the residency so their work revolved around the concepts of presence and absence. Fedorsky captured glimpses of an imagined “ghost” poet in the Manship home. Their collaboration resulted in a limited-edition photo book titled Ghost Book, published in 2024 by Kite String Press. Samantha C. Harvey, a professor of English at Boise State in Boise, Idaho, and a self-proclaimed fan of “creaky old houses,” wrote the foreword for the book. Copies of the book will be available for sale at Fedorsky’s opening reception.

Tsar Fedorsky is a photographer based in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Her photographs have been exhibited and published nationally and worldwide. Fedorsky holds an MFA in Photography from the University of Hartford in Connecticut and a BA from Amherst College in Massachusetts. She received a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship for Creative Arts in Photography in 2018, was a Critical Mass Finalist in 2015 and 2017, and received an Artist Fellowship Grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council in 2015. Fedorsky traveled to Brazil as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar in 2023-24. 

The exhibition opening and artist’s reception will take place Friday, June 7 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Gallery hours will be 1:00 – 4:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays through July 7 with the exception of June 15 and 16 when the gallery will be closed. Visitors can register to attend on the home page of the Manship Artists Residency website at ManshipArtists.org. 

ABOUT the MANSHIP ARTISTS RESIDENCY 

The site of the Manship Artists Residency was once the summer retreat of Paul Manship, the sculptor of the Prometheus Fountain at Rockefeller Center. Many of the same opportunities and qualities that attracted Manship to Cape Ann are available to those who come here seeking solitude or community in this restorative landscape. Manship Artists Residency gives artists and the creative spirit time and space to flourish for the benefit of our community by welcoming artists and thought leaders from around the world to work in these serene surroundings steps away from the scenic northeast coast of New England. Our residents magnify the social capital and the cultural value of Cape Ann, and our innovative programming contributes to the health and vitality of our community and beyond. ManshipArtists.org

At the edge of Gloucester Harbor stands the Salted Cod Arthouse & Wine Bar, its pressed-steel shingles gleaming in the sunlight, a beacon of artistry and community. Once a warehouse for salting cod, this historic building pulses with a novel life, thanks to the partnership with the Rocky Neck Art Colony (RNAC).

In 2021, Tom Aurelio and Matthew Moynahan, fueled by a desire to revitalize Rocky Neck, embarked on a mission to create a year-round hub for creativity. With a tiny kitchen tucked under the stairs and a vision to showcase local talent, they transformed the space into a convivial haven for art enthusiasts and casual visitors alike.

The heart of this venture lies in its collaboration with RNAC artists. Rather than curating the gallery themselves, Aurelio and Moynahan entrusted the bright space to RNAC, allowing a collection of approximately 30 local artists to shine. Each year, a jury selects works based on criteria like creativity, technical skill, and marketability, ensuring a diverse array of artistry graces the walls.

From paintings and ceramics to jewelry and textiles, the gallery features a kaleidoscope of mediums, showcasing the rich tapestry of Rocky Neck’s artistic community. And at the long brass bar, crafted by local artisan Chris Williams, patrons savor not only visual art but also artisanal beverages.

The Salted Cod takes pride in its curated selection of wines, a testament to Aurelio’s passion for Italian varietals and unique finds. Visitors can explore unfamiliar territories with the help of tasting glasses, encouraged to sample and discover new favorites. And to complement these libations, the menu has expanded to include an array of delectable offerings, from house-made flatbreads to tantalizing desserts.

As the Arthouse prepares to unveil its 2024 collection, the partnership with RNAC continues to flourish. Beginning this June, visitors to The Salted Cod will have a chance to meet an artist seven days a week, deepening their connection to the local creative scene. 

With each glass poured and artwork admired, the Salted Cod remains a steadfast supporter of Rocky Neck’s artistic heritage, embodying the spirit of community and collaboration.  Discover the 2024 artists at Salted Cod and join us in celebrating the vibrant talent of Rocky Neck!

#SaltedCodArtists 53 Rocky Neck, Gloucester, 978-282-0917, saltedcodarthouse.com

#RockyNeckArtColony, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, 978-515-7004, rockyneckartcolony.com

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The Rocky Neck Art Colony (RNAC), a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, nurtures excellence in the arts through exhibitions, workshops, residencies and vibrant cultural events for its members and the public. On picturesque Rocky Neck in Gloucester, Massachusetts, RNAC operates three exhibition spaces, open to the public for free, The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck (6 Wonson Street); The Salted Cod Arthouse (53 Rocky Neck Ave.), a partnership gallery and café; and Cove Gallery (37 Rocky Neck Ave.), open seasonally in the former gallery of local artists Gordon and Judith Goetemann. Check the website, www.rockyneckartcolony.org, for hours, openings and special events. For more information, see the website or call 978-515-7004

There are two weeks left to apply for North Shore Arts Association’s 3rd annual regional juried show Exhibit New England 2024! The show will run from June 29 – July 27, 2024, with over $7,000 in Awards. This OPEN CALL applies to all artists in the New England area. The DEADLINE to apply is May 25 by 11:59 PM. To apply please check out the link below:

https://client.smarterentry.com/nsarts

Juried for selection and awards by Chris Williams and Masako Kamiya. SAVE THE DATE! Join us for the reception & Awards Ceremony, featuring live music, food, and celebration on June 30 from 1 – 3 PM! Free and open to the public.

North Shore Arts Association is located at 11 Pirate’s Lane, Gloucester, MA 01930. For more information about events please call (978) 283-1857 or email arts@nsarts.org. Visiting hours are Monday – Saturday, 10 AM – 5 PM and Sundays 12 – 4 PM. 

Music, Dance, and Dreams for all ages. Saturday, June 1

The North Shore’s own Arpeggione Ensemble will return for a second residency at the Manship Artists Residency later this month in preparation for the final offering of its second season. “Dreams and Dances” will be presented on June 1, 2024 as a family-friendly, multimedia concert with music by Beethoven and Mendelssohn and original choreography performed by three dancers.

Join Arpeggione at Starfield, the home of the Manship Artists Residency, for a performance celebrating the creativity and expression in all of us. “Dreams and Dances” will take listeners of all ages on a journey through enchanted forests and countryside with music and dance. Arpeggione’s musicians will be performing Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony and excerpts from Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on instruments from the early 19th century. NYC-based choreographer and dancer Julian Donahue will be joined by dancers Guilia Faria and Mónica Lima to bring these dreams to life.

This performance is made possible by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Institution for Savings, the Beverly Cultural Council, the Gloucester Cultural Council, and with the support of the Prometheus Circle of the Manship Artists Residency.

Founded in 2022, Arpeggione’s first public event was performed in the Manship barn studio, which followed a week-long residency at the Manship Artists Residency. Arpeggione Ensemble is known for its joyful, accessible, immersive chamber music performances. Arpeggione performs a full season of concerts on the North Shore, with outreach programs that bring the same world-class programming to underserved audiences. Arpeggione creates community through shared artistic experiences and brings beloved masterpieces out of the concert hall to those who would not normally be able to experience them live.

“Dreams and Dances” will feature Andrea LeBlanc, flute; Thomas Carroll, clarinet; Megumi Stohs and Emily Hale, violins; Anna Griffis, viola; Jacques Lee Wood cello; and Guinevere Conner, bass. Arpeggione’s members are among the country’s foremost experts in historical performance and hold leading positions with the most prestigious early music ensembles in the United States. Julian Donahue is the founder of Julian Donahue Dance, and appears with the New York Theatre Ballet, New York Baroque Dance Company, and the Boston Early Music Festival.

DETAILS:
WHEN:            Saturday, June 1, 5:00-6:00 pm
WHERE:           Starfield, the home of the Manship Artists Residency
TICKETS:          Priority Seating: $45 (rain or shine);
Lawn Seating $15 person/$40 per family (if weather permits – BYO lawn chair or blanket)

More info and tickets at www.arpeggione-ensemble.com or ManshipArtists.org.
You can also reserve your tickets here.

ABOUT the MANSHIP ARTISTS RESIDENCY

The site of the Manship Artists Residency was once the summer retreat of Paul Manship, the sculptor of the Prometheus Fountain at Rockefeller Center. Many of the same opportunities and qualities that attracted Manship to Cape Ann are available to those who come here seeking solitude or community in this restorative landscape. Manship Artists Residency gives artists and the creative spirit time and space to flourish for the benefit of our community by welcoming artists and thought leaders from around the world to work in these serene surroundings steps away from the scenic northeast coast of New England. Our residents magnify the social capital and the cultural value of Cape Ann, and our innovative programming contributes to the health and vitality of our community and beyond. ManshipArtists.org

ABOUT ARPEGGIONE ENSEMBLE

Arpeggione brings classical music into our community by playing familiar and lesser-known masterpieces in chamber arrangements. We perform on historical instruments with an awareness of social and musical contexts of the past to highlight what is timeless and universal about the music we play and affirm each listener’s integral place in a shared artistic journey. Our guiding principles of accessibility and inclusivity are woven into the fabric of our ensemble.

Arpeggione is a BIPOC- and woman-led organization at the forefront of historically-informed music. Drawing inspiration from the groundbreaking salons led by women in the past, we aim to expand the horizons of our musical repertoire and create a thriving, inclusive community that resonates with the legacy of those who dared to break boundaries. Arpeggione-Ensemble.com

The Executive Committee of the Rocky Neck Art Colony (RNAC) is delighted to announce the appointment of Elizabeth Carey as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the organization.

Elizabeth brings with her a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success in the fields of marketing, tourism, and destination management. From 2016 to 2022, she served as the Executive Director of Discover Gloucester, where she played a pivotal role in promoting Gloucester as a premier visitor destination. Elizabeth’s strategic plans and collaborative approach resulted in increased tourism, heightened visitor spending, and expanded market share for Gloucester. Such initiatives include “Re-Discover Gloucester, be a tourist in your own backyard “ (during COVID) and the inspiration of “Culture Splash”, a collaborative campaign that integrates Gloucester’s two cultural districts. 

Headquartered in a renovated 150-year-old former chapel, RNAC today encompasses more than 300 members who make and appreciate art. The organization runs galleries in the Cultural Center at Rocky Neck (6 Wonson St), at Cove (37 Rocky Neck Ave) as well as partnering at the Salted Cod Arthouse (53 Rocky Neck Ave.). Member galleries are strung along the streets of Rocky Neck, from East Main to Madfish Wharf. President of the Board Janice Brand says, “Those of us who have worked with Elizabeth over the past months have been impressed by her can-do attitude, energy, Gloucester connections and positivity. She is up for the challenge of this new role at Rocky Neck, and we are eager for her leadership.”

Prior to her role at Discover Gloucester, Elizabeth held various leadership positions, including Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Attract China LLC, Sales & Marketing Manager at Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, and Regional Vice President for the WHERE Hawaii Market at Morris Visitor Publications. Her extensive background in promoting travel destinations and fostering partnerships with businesses and community stakeholders has equipped her with the skills and insights necessary to lead RNAC into its next phase of growth and development.

As CEO of RNAC, Elizabeth will leverage her strategic vision, organizational management experience, and passion for the arts to further enhance the organization’s mission of supporting and promoting the arts in the Rocky Neck community and beyond.

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About Rocky Neck Art Colony: The Rocky Neck Art Colony is one of the oldest continuously operating art colonies in the United States, located in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Established in the 19th century, RNAC is dedicated to supporting and promoting the arts through exhibitions, events, and community outreach initiatives.

SUNDAY, MAY 5TH, 10AM TILL 4PM

3 Lighthouse Way Apt.#2 Gloucester, MA  978-869-3636
Prints, Giclees, Original Artwork, Cards, & Hand-Painted Spirit Stones
[& I’ll have a basket of Ashara’s fun barrettes for purchase.}
Please park in the street

Thursday, May 9th, 4-7PM
2 Dock Square, Rockport MA

Five local artisans have joined forces to create “Coastal Locals Artisans’ Cooperative”, Rockport’s newest shopping destination! Pottery, photography, paintings, contemporary art-glass and artisan jewelry are all presented in our beautiful sun-filled gallery space at 2 Dock Square, Rockport MA. Please come and help us celebrate becoming “the New Kids On The Dock” with a ribbon-cutting by the Cape Ann Chamber, to be followed by a reception in the gallery. We encourage you to SHOP LOCALS – COASTAL LOCALS

Beth Williams – Art Glass Jewelry
Leigh Slingluff – Painting
Ann Schlecht – Artisan Jewelry
Joanne Avallon – Pottery
Mark Jackowitz – Photography

Featuring Masterworks by Historic Cape Ann Artists Offered in Rockport Art Association & Museum’s 39th Annual Art Auction on Saturday, May 4, 2024, 2:00 PM (EST). 

Live Online Only Auction via LiveAuctioneers:
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/326151_rockport-art-association-and-museum-art-auction/

Auction Preview Exhibition in the Hibbard and Maddocks Galleries of the RAA&M: 
Saturday, April 20 – Saturday, May 4, 2024. 
Auction Preview Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 10am – 5pm; Sunday, 12–5pm (Saturday, May 4th, 10am – 12pm).

Bidding is available live online via LiveAuctioneers.com (with advanced registration) or by submitting an in-house absentee bid directly with the RAA&M in advance. Auction Sneak Peek video episodes with noted Cape Ann historian and author Judith A. Curtis are featured on the RAA&M website and YouTube channel.

More information and an online photo catalog of all auction lots is posted on the RAA&M website: www.rockportartassn.org/auction

Over the years, the Annual Art Auction, a major fundraiser for the Rockport Art Association & Museum (RAA&M), has become a highly anticipated event. As a prestigious art auction, it attracts serious collectors throughout the country, as well as those just starting an art collection.

Live online from the RAA&M’s Hibbard Gallery, this year’s auction features works by master Cape Ann artists of the past including Aldro T. Hibbard, Emile Gruppé, Anthony Thieme, Antonio Cirino, Jane Peterson, W. Lester Stevens, Paul Strisik, Charles Paul Gruppé, Gordon Grant, Carl W. Peters, William Meyerowitz, Emma Fordyce MacRae, and Frederick J. Waugh, among many others. The auction specializes in Cape Ann art, but is not limited to this region and also includes works by numerous other prominent historic American artists. Also represented in this year’s auction are John Marin, Paul Dougherty, Harrison Bird Brown, and Daniel Ridgway Knight. 

The auction, now in its 39th year, began with a bequest by founding RAA&M member Antonio Cirino (1888-1983). Cirino left his artwork to the Association with the stipulation that the art be auctioned to help support the organization. The auction quickly evolved to include other historic Cape Ann artists, and has been the Association’s major annual fundraising event ever since.

Manship Artists Residency is pleased to announce THE NET WORKS: a multi-sensory installation built upon the narrative of Gloucester’s fishing community, opening May 10^th and running through May 27th. The exhibition was envisioned by artist Erika Senft Miller during the pandemic and her consequent virtual residency with the Manship Artists Residency in 2020. The installation at 52 Commercial Street, is located in the heart of Gloucester’s working waterfront in a building that was a former seafood processing plant. The fishing net serves as a literal and metaphorical symbol in an immersive exhibit that includes scents, sounds, and tactile experiences, where visitors, like fish, move through a passage of netting. The Net Works honors Gloucester’s iconic working waterfront and its generations of fisherman with the net symbolizing the interconnectedness of man and sea and the community itself.

Multi-sensory artist Erika Senft Miller, who has coordinated other community-based, site-specific productions explains, “No matter where we are, we’re all connected. Whatever happens in the fishing community in Gloucester affects us all. The Net Works plunges us into this experience at a crucial moment in the life of America’s oldest fishing port.”

Senft Miller describes her vision for the exhibition as: “My team and I wanted to make something that you can touch, smell, hear, move through, and contemplate. We imagined an experience that entails walking through a full-scale fishing net and engaging with a mixed-media composition that incorporates the creaking of a boat, the voices of the fishermen, the sounds of blocks, lines and the sea, and scents of fishing life that have lingered for so many generations.”

Senft Miller’s team consists of the founder of Alice & the Magician Sensory Design, Aaron Wisniewski, to incorporate scent; media technologist and composer Miles Dean Ewell for sound as well as musician Neha Ewell; video by Menghan Wang; photographer Paul Cary Goldberg; glass blower Rich Arentzen; and Peter Waxdal of SenovvA, Inc., a designer and installer of interactive generative experiential features. Many members of the local fishing community contributed to this project, especially Gloucester native and former fisherman James Tarrantino, and commercial fisherman Captain Joseph Sanfilippo.

Research for the project was supported by Prometheus Circle of the Manship Artists Residency, and a learning grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts. The project has also received grants from The Vermont Arts Council, The Bruce J. Anderson Foundation, and Awesome Gloucester. Support and contributions were also provided by Burlington City Arts, The Cape Ann Museum, and Maritime Gloucester. Owner of Intershell, Monte Rome, also donated the exhibition space.

The exhibition will run from May 10th through Memorial Day, opening Friday, May 10 at 5:30 pm. The exhibit will be open to the public Thursday through Sunday, 4:30 – 7:30 pm and by appointment. Register for your ticketed-entry time at  tinyurl/TheNetWorks24.

ABOUT the MANSHIP ARTISTS RESIDENCY

The site of the Manship Artists Residency was once the summer retreat of Paul Manship, the sculptor of the Prometheus Fountain at Rockefeller Center. Many of the same opportunities and qualities that attracted Manship to Cape Ann are available to those who come here seeking solitude or community in this restorative landscape. Manship Artists Residency gives artists and the creative spirit time and space to flourish for the benefit of our community by welcoming artists and thought leaders from around the world to work in these serene surroundings steps away from the scenic northeast coast of New England. Our residents magnify the social capital and the cultural value of Cape Ann, and our innovative programming contributes to the health and vitality of our community and beyond. ManshipArtists.org