Good Morning Gloucester

Love the beauty of the granite that is all around us and under us.  Love the dry stack walls that you see all over Cape Ann.  On this beautiful long weekend stop and look around!

Loving the fall skies these days!

Penthouse view at the State Pier

I jest. Really. But still, there are definitely some must dos this time of year….and I have wicked parent guilt if we don’t squeeze them in.  Silly as it is.

I know that I’m supposed to be doing a “Nichole’s Picks” post, but honestly this is a tricky time of year to get creative.  If we’re keeping track, these are my picks…and the fall must dos.

1. Topsfield Fair
2. Awesome Autumn Fun at one of the MANY fantastic farms/orchards near us
3. Salem…..  get your Halloween freak on for sure.

We do the Topsfield Fair every year, for sure. That’s 1 point for Team Schrafft.

Contrary to that, every year I say we’re going to go enjoy some Halloween fun in Salem, but we never do.  That’s tie score, Schraffts 1, Fall Forced Fun 1.

Apple picking is the dark horse of our fall fun tour.

I always want to go apple picking….and sometimes the stars (and by stars I mean hockey schedules) align and we get to participate in some Forced Fall Family Freaking Farm Fun.  But lately, we’ve been letting the season get by us without nearly as much farm fun as normal!  This year I won’t have it.

My favorite farm is Applecrest up in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire.   I’d really love to know….what is yours?

Read all about Applecrest HERE

CB is Crystal Ball.  In my mind, she’s a she and as fickle as a teenager.  When I needed a little inspiration in my photography, she came to my rescue.  The purchase was recommended by a friend and CB’s Cape Ann adventures are among her finest work.  Mine came from Amazon (of course)  and there’s a good variety of various globes and accessories.

Some of CB’s recent adventures

Tonight on ABC Ch. 5 (705) at 7:30pm CHRONICLE will air the long awaited interview with Gloucester’s own Hannah Kimberley about Hannah’s new book A Woman’s Place is at the Top, Annie Smith Peck Queen of the climbers.

Tune in and support local writers!

The books arrival!

Cheers to you Hannah! Bravo!!

It’s tonight folks!!’

The cover (with help by James Eves III)

Season’s End Party at Gallery 53 on Rocky Neck

Randolph Kelts – Sail

Randolph Kelts – Stage Fort Park

Cape Ann residents and visitors are invited to attend Gallery 53’s Season’s End Party on Saturday, October 7 from 6 to 8pm at 53 Rocky Neck Ave. (between the Studio and the Rudder restaurants). A reception for the Rocky Neck Art Colony’s seventh Summer Artist, printmaker and painter Randolph Kelts, will take place at the same time. The festive party features delectable appetizers, seasonal libations and an array of creative artist-made door prizes all offered at no charge to the public. This yearly event is very popular so we recommend that guests arrive early so they can find a nearby parking spot on Rocky Neck.

A painter and printmaker, Randolph Kelts lives in both Gloucester, MA and Portland, OR. The theme of her Summer Artist show is Cape Ann Environs translated in both her paintings and prints. The watercolor and gouache paintings and the Intaglio solar plate prints express the loci of this special place and mirror the uniqueness of a coastal area. The intaglio prints complement the free-style paintings in their dramatic imagery interpreted in ink. To enhance the prints, they are often hand painted or drawn and always individually printed.

Gallery 53 on Rocky Neck is a juried co-op gallery that features a distinctive collection of fine arts by Rocky Neck Art Colony members. Located in a historic 19th century building between the Studio and Rudder Restaurants at 53 Rocky Neck Ave, Gloucester, Gallery 53 is open daily May 25 to October 15 from 10 am to 6 pm. For more information call 978-282-0917 or go to rockyneckartcolony.org.

See Gallery 53 on Rocky Neck on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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 paintings in American art and a catalyst for the progressive ideas of artists from Stuart Davis, Marsden Hartley, Milton Avery, and Nell Blaine, among many others. Today Rocky Neck continues to attract artists and art lovers to a thriving creative community. For up-to-date information visit rockyneckartcolony.org.

The Annisquam Arts & Crafts Show – now in its 33^nd year – is always one of the highlights of Columbus Day Week-end.

There will be 40 artists and artisans – with art that encompasses landscapes, portraits and water colors and crafts that include jewelry, fashion, ceramics, paper art and printed fabrics.  The majority of the artists – including many who are new to the show this year – are from the Cape Ann area.

The Opening Gala will be held on Friday, 6 October – $30 at the door or $25 if bought in advance.  The Mass Motion Dance Youth Company from Manchester-by-the-Sea and Peabody, will perform as Marionettes at this year’s   show and offer a whimsical addition to the evening’s experience.

The Show will be held in the Annisquam Village Hall, 36 Leonard Street, Annisquam on October 7 and 8 from 10:00-5:00pm.  Admission is free.  Proceeds from the show will benefit the Annisquam Village Church.  For more information, please contact deborahbird1@gmail.com

Autumn Photography Exhibition by Judy Robinson-Cox and Reception at Square Circle Gallery

Where: Square Circle Gallery, 11 Dock Square, Rockport MA
Reception: Saturday, October 7, 1 to 5pm

Ghosts

Giant-Pumpkin-Contest

Penguin-Crossing

The Square Circle Gallery at 11 Dock Square in Rockport MA is holding a reception and exhibition of new work for photographer Judy Robinson-Cox on Saturday, October 7 from 1 to 5pm.

“Judy Robinson-Cox is one of our most popular artists,” says Myra Hall, gallery manager. “We are excited to feature her work this Fall at The Square Circle.”

Known for her photographs of miniature tabletop constructions of tiny plastic figures posed on food or common household objects, Judy has created a series of seasonal images to help celebrate our autumn and winter holidays. In addition to framed and matted photographs in all sizes, the Square Circle will introduce a line of handmade ornaments and original photograph holiday cards. The Square Circle Gallery exhibits the largest collection of Judy’s photographs available for sale to the public.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Judy was a fine arts major at New York University and received a BFA, cum laude from the University of Connecticut. She also studied at the Philadelphia College of Art, Montserrat College of Art, the Griffin Museum’s Photography Atelier program and many local workshops and classes.

She is active in various Massachusetts arts organizations including Gloucester’s Rocky Neck Art Colony and the Rockport and Cambridge Art Associations.

ABOUT THE SQUARE CIRCLE GALLERY

Located in downtown Rockport at Dock Square, the Square Circle Gallery is known for paintings by local artists, modern graphics, sculpture, ceramics, Judaica and fused glass. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday at 10am and Sundays at 11 am. Closing hours vary; please call (978) 546-7100 for more information.

Drawn from Nature & on Stone: The Lithographs of Fitz Henry Lane

A special exhibition opening this fall at the Cape Ann Museum
On view October 7, 2017 – March 4, 2018

Drawn from Nature & on Stone, the first-ever comprehensive exhibition focusing on 19th century American artist Fitz Henry Lane (1804–1865) as a printmaker, will be on display at the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester, Massachusetts, from October 7, 2017 through March 4, 2018. An opening reception is planned for Saturday, October 7 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. (free for Museum members or with admission) and a special Fitz Henry Lane’s Gloucester walking tour will be offered on Sunday, October 8 at 1:30 p.m. Space is limited on the walking tour, tickets and reservations required. For more information or to purchase tickets please visit camuseum.eventbrite.com or call 978-283-0455 x10.

Georgia Barnhill, Curator Emerita of the America Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts, is serving as guest curator and worked closely with the Cape Ann Museum in organizing this special show. The exhibition, exhibition catalog and related programming are being organized in connection with Fitz Henry Lane Online, a catalogue raisonné and resource tool created by the Cape Ann Museum.

Fitz Henry Lane has long been recognized as one of America’s most important artists of the mid-19^th century. Born in Gloucester, trained in lithography in Boston and, during the same time, exposed to the art world, by the late-1840s Lane was rapidly establishing himself as a well known and sought after painter.  During the 1850s and into the 1860s, working from a studio overlooking Gloucester Harbor, Lane created an unknown number of canvases documenting and celebrating in amazing detail and beauty the world around him.  His work included views not only of Gloucester and surrounding communities but also of Boston Harbor, coastal Maine, New York Harbor and other locales.  Today, the Cape Ann Museum, located just a few blocks away from Lane’s studio, proudly displays the world’s single largest collection of oil paintings by this esteemed American artist.  While his canvases, exhibited in museums around the world, remain the work Lane is best known for, his life-long fascination with the art of lithography remains an important and central part of his career.

With the exhibition Drawn from Nature & on Stone, the Museum will investigate Lane’s lithographs, exploring the intersection of his work in oil and in print and his success at creating illustrations for sheet music, business cards and stationery, advertising materials and book illustrations. The exhibition will highlight a series of views Lane created of towns and cities throughout the region including Gloucester; Boston; Norwich, Connecticut; Castine, Maine; and Baltimore. In total, Lane is thought to have had a hand in the production of approximately 65 lithographs.

Drawn from Nature & on Stone will feature lithographs from the Cape Ann Museum’s own holdings and from collections throughout the region including the American Antiquarian Society, the Boston Athenaeum, The New York Public Library and the Library of Congress. The exhibition will offer scholars and lay people alike the opportunity to explore the intersection of Lane’s work as a printmaker and a painter, to learn more about the art of lithography and to consider the enduring effects image production has had on American culture since the early 19^th century.

Programming related to Drawn from Nature & on Stone will explore Fitz Henry Lane’s life and career in detail and against the backdrop of 19th century printmaking culture in America. A symposium will be held on Saturday, October 28 at which six scholars working in fields related to the history of graphic arts will present their research to the public.  Their presentations will explore such diverse topics as how race and race relations were portrayed in prints in the period following the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863; the role women artists and artisans played in printmaking during the 19^th century; and how the rise of industrialization in towns such as Lowell and Lawrence, Massachusetts, affected the careers of Fitz Henry Lane and other artists.  The symposium will be held in the Cape Ann Museum’s auditorium and will be a day-long event.  Space is limited for the October 28 symposium and seats are available on a first come, first served basis.  For additional programming related to this exhibition, please see the Museum’s website www.capeannmuseum.org. 

The Museum is deeply grateful to the sponsors of this exhibition:

John Rando, Jerry and Margaretta Hausman, Linzee and Beth Coolidge, Jay Last,

J.J. and Jackie Bell, Bill and Anne Kneisel, Arthur Ryan, International Fine Print Dealers
Association, American Historical Print Collectors Society, Inc., Beauport Hospitality Group.

Cape Ann Artisans open Studio Tour

Visit 20 unique studios during the 34^th  Cape Ann Artisans (CAA) self-guided Open Studios Tour. dates:. October 7-9. Time: 10AM-5PM daily. Weave along the scenic coastline of Gloucester and Rockport into small neighborhoods and downtown.  It’s a unique opportunity to meet 22 working artists in a relaxed setting.  Enjoy an array of pottery, painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, mosaics and jewelry. Visit year round by appointment. CAA 3rd annual Holiday Event: Dec 1-2 in Rockport. Read more about each Artisan in the blog “From the Studio.”

Cape Ann Artisans • (978) 546 – 7582 • capeannartisans.com

Fitz Henry Lane Walking Tour

Explore Gloucester of the 19^th Century

The Cape Ann Museum is pleased to present an autumn walking tour focusing on artist Fitz Henry Lane’s 19^th century Gloucester neighborhood on Sunday, October 8 at 1:30 p.m. This program is $10 for Museum members; $20 nonmembers. Space is limited, reservations required. Tickets can be purchased by calling 978-283-0455 x10 or visit capeannmuseum.org.

Delve into the 19th century on this tour through the neighborhoods and waterfront areas that inspired the artwork of native son Fitz Henry Lane. Learn how Lane rose from modest beginnings in the pre-Civil War era to worldwide recognition as a marine painter and why, even today, numerous artists journey to Cape Ann to capture its unusual light. This program is offered in conjunction with the special exhibition, Drawn from Nature & on Stone: The Lithographs of Fitz Henry Lane which opens on October 7 and remains on display until March 4, 2018.

Guided walking tours are held rain or shine and last about 1½ hours; participants should be comfortable being on their feet for that amount of time. Tour participants should meet in the front lobby of the Cape Ann Museum at 27 Pleasant Street, Gloucester.