The Rockport Public Library maintains a wonderful art collection. When visiting the temporary Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads in the children’s room and the special Betty Allenbrook Wiberg installation, don’t miss the genius Mother Goose 1938 bronze by Richard H. Recchia, and the Sam Hershey WPA-era mural, Rockport Goes to War, 1939.
The new Josh Falk mural (2019) is behind the Rockport Public Library.
Genius design bronze by Richard H. Recchia, Mother Goose, 1938
at the Rockport Public Library
This impression is annotated by the artist as a “sketch model sculpture by R. H. Recchia” (1888-1983). The sculpture rotates to illustrate the rhymes and beautifully expresses how children are captivated by stories. The sculpture is a tribute to his wife, Kitty Parsons (1889-1976), artist & writer, and one of the original founders of Rockport Art Assoc. It was originally situated within the library’s former smaller digs: the Rockport’s Carnegie Library established in 1906, a Beaux-Arts beauty around the corner, now a private home. It was one of 43 Carnegie libraries built in Massachusetts. In 1993 the library moved to its current site in an 1880s mill building, the Tarr School, thanks to the Denghausen bequest.
Parsons & Recchia resided and worked at their home “Hardscrabble” at 6 Summer Street in Rockport. (Rockport was their permanent address from 1928 till his death.) Recchia was born in Quincy. His dad was a stone carver from Verona who worked for Bela Pratt and Daniel Chester French. Later, Recchia was Pratt’s assistant.
For more bas relief examples by Recchia, see his Bela Pratt in the Yale collection, digitized entry here ) Recchia public sculptures are on permanent display at the Rockport Art Association & Museum. More photos below.
snippet video of Recchia Mother Goose sculpture rotating
click/double click on photos to enlarge photos to actual size (or pinch and zoom) | hover to read caption
Sam Hershey WPA mural, 1939
Sam Hershey Rockport Goes to War featured Rockport Public Library; W. Lester Stevens WPA mural Preparing Rockport for Granite dating from the same year is across the street in the Post Office
W. Lester Stevens 1939 mural in Rockport Post Office
is displayed on the same floor as Recchia and Hershey works February 3 – February 29, 2020.
Once Upon a Contest exhibit of children’s picture books is presented by the four libraries of Cape Ann with support from Bruce J Anderson Foundation | The Boston Fund . In this photograph, carved box by Lars and Betty Wiberg. Illustration by John Plunkett for Prince of Winter on left and illustration of dog by Mary Rhinelander on right.
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Heading from Gloucester & Cape Ann to Concord makes for easy nature hikes and must see visits year round. Winter walks on mild days offer unobstructed views. It’s remarkable how many points of interest and preservation are within walking distance — or brief drives– from each other in Concord and that share connections with Gloucester.
Concord Art Museum expansion 2020
The Concord Museum’s expansion, the impact of Little Women film release, and Carol Thistle are featured in the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism Industry Update from January 2020 (MOTT). Read the full January 2020 news and stats here for inspiration. Nice to see North Shore highlighted.
Plan ahead because there’s so much in close proximity you’d be sorry to miss any. It’s easy to park at these Concord sites and walk to the others. A few require a drive.
Home of Ralph Waldo Emerson
Concord, Mass. Emerson’s home of 50 years is situated across from the Concord Museum and a two minute walk from Alcott’s family home. The house belonged to his wife, Ellen Tucker who died of TB at twenty in 1831, just two years into their young marriage. Emerson supported Thoreau, Alcott’s father (Bronson Alcott) and Hawthorne because of spousal inheritance. He married Lydian in 1835 in Plymouth, Mass. They raised a family in the Concord home.
“Emerson itemized “Gloucester” in his pocket journal entries because he came here for work and pleasure: as a Gloucester Lyceum invited speaker; with friends, most notably a famous walk here with Thoreau; visited Rockport in August 1855 and Pigeon Cove with family in 1856 (where he is remembered as the Inn in Rockport Mass most famous guest). Art fans aside: his ancestor, Thomas Emerson, built Arthur Wesley Dow’s house in Ipswich.”
Catherine Ryan
Lousia May Alcott home of Little Women Orchard House
Founded in 1912 (!), the museum is the long time family home where Alcott wrote and set Little Women website Ralph Waldo Emerson backed her father’s work. Thoreau was her schoolteacher.
“When she was about seven her father enrolled her in a school taught by Thoreau, then 23. Thoreau often took his students out of the classroom into the woods. He taught them about birds and flowers, gathering lichens, showing them a fox den and deer tracks, feeding a chipmunk from his hand.
Sometimes he took the children on his boat, the Musketaquid, and gave them lessons as they floated down the Sudbury and Assabet rivers. As they passed the battlefield where the American Revolution started, he explained how the farmers had defended themselves against the redcoats. Louisa recorded her vivid memories of those field trips in Moods.”
excerpt New England Historical Society
Gloucester – Concord connections:Alcott stayed in a few neighborhoods when she visited Gloucester whether traveling alone, with family, or friends including Rocky Neck, Magnolia and West Gloucester. Extended stays at Braewood, 531 Essex Avenue, the home of Maria H. Bray in West Gloucester, were effectively a writer’s retreat and inspired Jack and Jill (published in 1880) set in “Harmony Village” which looks like Gloucester in the book’s illustrations. Louisa May Alcott was one of the notable repeat summer guests at Braewood (and perhaps at the ones Bray managed before in Magnolia including Willow Cottage).
Walden Pond
Concord, Mass. Don’t forget that Walden Pond is right here, too! Hike to the site of the Henry David Thoreau cabin which he built on Emerson’s land and stayed 2-2-2 (as in two years, two months, two days) over 1845-47.
“When I wrote the following pages, or rather the bulk of them, I lived alone, in the woods, a mile from any neighbor, in a house which I had built myself, on the shore of Walden Pond, in Concord, Massachusetts, and earned my living by the labor of my hands only.” Henry David Thoreau, Walden Pond, published 1854.
Combining this stop with downtown Concord underscores the scalability of his solitude and deep nature study, and how it was made possible with support from cherished family and friends. (Since it’s pretty much his back yard, no wonder he could walk home!)
Thoreau lived at 255 Main Street in downtown Concord from 1850 until his death in 1862. His former student, Louisa May Alcott, bought the historic house for her sister. She and her father lived there, too.
Gloucester – Concord connections: Walden Pond NPS Visitor Center designed by architect MaryAnn Thompson, same firm that built Temple Ahavat Achim in Gloucester, Mass. Thoreau came to Gloucester at least twice that we know of- in 1848 as an invited speaker by Gloucester Lyceum hosted in the town hall; and in 1854 as the penultimate stop of his north shore trek. Dogtown.
Temple Ahavat Achim Gloucester Ma designed by MaryAnn Thompson 2012 (photo July 2017)
Gropius House
Lincoln, Mass. (Walden Pond/Concord line). A Historic New England property, Gropius House is a landmark Bauhaus residence now museum built in 1938, the same year as MoMa’s legendary Bauhaus exhibition. Marcel Breuer’s house 1 is down the hill.
Gloucester – Concord connections: Mass Modern trail and great buildings. Don Monell and other modern inspiration can be found on Cape Ann. The Graduate school at Harvard designed by Gropius was a TAC (The Architects Collaborative) build in 1950. TAC was founded in 1945 with the clout addition of Gropius who continued with the firm until his death in 1969. Original 7 founders were Norman Fletcher, Louis McMillen, Robert McMillan, Benjamin C. Thompson*, Jean Fletcher, Sarah Harkness and John Harkness. Twenty years later, Monell’s Plum Cove elementary school design in 1967 in Glocuester Mass was leveraged by partnering with The Architects Collaborative. Gloucester’s Plum Cove school is a TAC build. (Wikipedia lists several commissions. The school could be added.) This early 20th century history in Concord and Gloucester could inspire other movies.
*Jane (Fiske McCullough) Thompson and Deb Allen were co-founding editors of Industrial Design; Thomson had worked at MoMa for Philip Johnson. She married Ben Thompson in 1969. To my knowledge, there is no relation to architect MaryAnn Thompson who designed the Walden Pond visitor center.
The Marcel Breuer House 1 (1939) at 5 Woods End Road is essentially nestled into the Gropius hill property. Floor plans and interior photo published here are from the Marcel Breuer papers in the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution collection. It was added to the National Historic Register in 1988. Minutes away conservation land was set aside thanks to 20th Century modernist architect, Quincy Adams. He served on the town’s conservation committee and donated hundreds of acres of his family’s land for green space.
Lexington, Mass. One could drive to Six Moon Hill after stops mentioned above, on the way back to Gloucester. It’s about 15 minutes from the Gropius House. Six Moon Hill is the nick name for an enclave of neighborhood homes in Lexington, Massachusetts, designed by the modernist architects of The Architects’ Collaborative (TAC) between 1948 and 1950.
The Gropius home was already optimally sited within the Walden Pond/Thoreau orbit. I’d wager intentionally so, a poetic and multidimensional nod to the natural and built environment and how to live. This dialogue among masters across centuries is another reason I believe Maryann Thompson’s visitor center is ideal.
Art historian Simon Schama resided on Moon Hill between 1981 and 1993.
“Six Moon Hill is a community of twenty-nine Mid-Century Modern houses designed by members of The Architects Collaborative (TAC), beginning in 1948… The property was purchased by the TAC architects in 1947 so they could build inexpensive homes for themselves, their growing families and their friends, and express Modernist socially progressive ideals. A corporation was formed, creating by-laws affecting future development, maintenance and communal responsibilities. The parcel was originally part of a farm, and while the land was initially used for grazing, the steeper areas had reverted to forest at the time of the purchase. Most of Moon Hill is on a ridge with rocky outcrops, wooded with oak and conifers. The impact of construction has been minimized, leaving the site as natural and undisturbed as possible” read more from the historical surveyhere
Don’t miss what’s nearby!
Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm is a five minute or so drive from the Gropius house. Moon Hill Road is more like 15-20 minutes. Minute Man National Park and Decordova are here, too. There are ample and varied scenic treks to mix it up for repeat visits
“On behalf of the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, Happy New Year to our tourism colleagues around the world, as we embark on an exciting new year and a new decade here in Massachusetts. We are looking forward to a busy and productive year. In-state initiatives on our horizon include Plymouth 400, the Restaurant Promotion Commission, a new Historic Women Trailblazers of Massachusetts initiative in honor of the 100th anniversary of the right to vote for women, and a major exhibit on King Tut coming to Boston in June. On MOTT’s international front, we have trade opportunities in Germany, Japan and South Korea in the coming months, as well as two of our most important tourism conferences, DNE and IPW. In this month’s MA Spotlight, we profile Concord Museum’s Marketing & PR Director Carol Thistle, who shares details about exciting new exhibits coming up in 2020 here.”
“…we are so excited about the Little Women film and we have already seen an increase in visitation to Concord because of it. Louisa May Alcott’s copper tea kettle that she used as a nurse during the Civil War is showcased in the Museum. Louisa almost died during the endeavor and was inspired to write her first published work, Hospital Sketches, which helped launch her remarkable and prolific career as one of America’s favorite writers.” – excerpt from Carol Thistle interview for MOTT spotlight Jan 2020
“The $13 million capital campaign supported construction of the new Anna and Neil Rasmussen Education Center, which opened in fall 2018. What are some of the educationalfeatures? With this state-of-the-art Center, we host Forums on women’s suffrage, the abolition movement, revolutionary history, decorative arts and other topics connected to our collection. Since the opening of the Rasmussen Education Center, the Museum has served 14,000+ students through a variety of curriculum-based educational programs. Kids can explore the world of Henry David Thoreau, cook over an open hearth, and learn about Native culture through archaeology and so much more. In 2019, the Paul Revere’s Fund provided free bus transportation to the Museum and underwrote all program fees for nearly 4,000 students from Lowell, Lawrence, and Everett.”
“One of the greatest joys in my marketing and public relations career has been promoting so many incredible destinations in our state. Massachusetts has so much to offer local, national and international visitors with its natural beauty, seacoast and of course its history. In the past 25 years, through branding campaigns and strategic marketing, I have promoted some of Boston’s key icons, including Faneuil Hall Marketplace, the Boston Harbor Islands and the Museum of Science – as well as the cities of Gloucester and Salem. For the past 3 ½ years, I have been the Marketing Director for the Concord Museum as it has undergone an exciting $13 million dollar capital campaign, expansion and renovation. I’m also currently serving on the Board of the Concord’s Chamber of Commerce as well as the Advisory Board for both Discover Concord and the Town of Concord’s new Tourism initiative.”
New work by Joey Ciaramitaro is featured in the main gallery at Cape Ann Giclee print shop, 20 Maplewood Avenue, Gloucester, Mass., The Opening Reception is tonight, November 1, 2019 from 6:30 – 9pm.
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The Gloucester Sea Serpent is like a Massachusetts Loch Ness monster though an ocean rather than freshwater creature. Alleged sightings date back to 1638; see excellent research by Lise Breen for the HarborWalk marker #19 “The Sea Serpent”.
In 2017, the Cape Ann Museum (CAM) celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Sea Serpent’s peak folklore moment when hundreds of accounts were published in newspapers. (In comparison, the first written record of a monster in Loch Ness dates way back to 565, picks up popular speed by 1802, and on to global recognition by 1933). Swampscott and North Shore sightings surged as competition with Newport and other summer tourism hotspots increased. Sea serpent inspired art across media continued into the 20th and 21st centuries.
photo caption: Cape Ann Museum – street banners heralding Sea Serpent Exhibition 2017
Below: A Sea Serpent at Cressy Beach Stage Fort Park in Gloucester was originally painted by fine artist Robert Stephenson circa 1960 and is kept fresh by adoring community. Many moons ago, a free standing climber serpent was a favorite element at the Stage Fort Park playground. My photos in this post span years/seasons, roughly 2011-2019. Hover for descriptive details or double click & enlarge.
July 20, 2019
The new sculpture commission, Gloucester Sea Serpent, by Chris Williams at Cape Ann Museum was dedicated July 20, 2019, to honor Ronda Faloon, distinguished Cape Ann Museum Director (2006-2019) who retired in 2019.
Before
Look for the serpent’s nocturne visage: the Williams sculpture is the first one on museum grounds to incorporate light amidst its mixed media.
The Gloucester Sea Serpent at the entrance joins other sculptures on view in the Cape Ann Museum Courtyard and Sculpture Garden, a special public space dedicated to the memory of Harold Bell, President of Cape Ann Museum (1979-2003).
ALBERT HENRY ATKINS (1880-1951) Spirt of the Sea 1915 bronze [fun fact courtesy Alex Monell: architect (Cape Ann Museum & CAM board) Don Monell held this sculpture on his property until the best re-siting]
ROBERT AMORY, Reflection, 1970 gift of the artist
KEN HRUBYUneasy Crown, Uneasy Chair, Uneasy Piece, 1986 (cast 2008) Gift of Judith McCulloch in memory of Harold Bell
And dappled today, GEORGE DEMETRIOS bronze fountain, Spring
Across the street, the Cape Ann Museum sculpture park and gardens designed by Clara Batchelor, CBA Landscape Architect Principal, opened in 2011. Its centerpiece features
JOHN RAIMONDI sculpture, Dance of the Cranes
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FOR OUR FATHERS, Sunday, April 28, 2019 7:30pm,at the Gloucester Meetinghouse: acclaimed Austrian soprano Ute Gfrerer, accompanied by pianist William Merrill, and renowned Boston artist Lisa Rosowsky present a deeply moving evening of song and art, based on the legacy of silence of their two fathers during World War II, one an Austrian member of the Nazi Youth Party, and one a French Jew. In a unique collaboration, the two artists present a Holocaust-themed program of music and mixed media artworks, based on memories of their fathers. The event is co-hosted with Temple Ahavat Achim. The Meetinghouse (home of the Unitarian Universalist Church) is located on the green at the corner of Middle and Church Streets (accessible side entrance at 10 Church Street with an elevator). Tickets ($45 preferred, $30 general, $10 students with ID, under 12 free) are available at the door and in-advance with more information at gloucestermeetinghouse.org
About the program from the artist, Lisa Rosowsky:
When we met in 2017, Ute had already developed a repertoire of musical performances incorporating music that had been set to poems by writers caught up in the Holocaust, and for more than a decade I had been creating mixed media works of art around being the daughter of a survivor. We knew we wanted to find a way to weave together our work into an audio-visual program, and it became my task to craft the presentation. We were amazed by how many of her songs matched up thematically with my pieces! Our goal was to move the audience seamlessly between each song and each work of art, setting both into historical context while offering insight into our individual experiences with our fathers. Over the course of a few months, we developed this performance, which we are pleased to share with you.
Benefit event: This event is co-sponsored by Temple Ahavat Achim with support from the Paulson Fund, by the Series Sponsors of the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation, and by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Proceeds will be used to benefit the ongoing preservation of the historic (1806) Meetinghouse as well as to support Temple Ahavat Achim’s Rabbi Myron and Eileen Geller Endowment Campaign for the Sylvia Cohen Religious School and Family Learning
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OPENING RECEPTION Saturday, April 13, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Join artist Esther Pullman for the opening of an exhibition of her large-scale panoramic photographs. Reception is free for Cape Ann Museum members or with Museum admission. Shot over a twenty-year period, these large-scale panoramic photographs of greenhouses explore such universal themes as the passage of time, the cycle of the seasons, death and rebirth, and have also unavoidably become a metaphor for our threatened planet.
Pullman’s work is featured in two openings on Pleasant Street on April 13th and it’s easy to schedule both!
Pullman’s work is included in a group show, A Turning Poing: the Contemporary Landscape, at Jane Deering Gallery, which represents her work. The gallery is located next to the museum. The show is opening the same day:
Venue: Jane Deering Gallery, 19 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, Mass. Group show: A Turning Poing | The Contemporary Landscape Artists: Gabrielle Barzaghi, Paul Cary Goldberg, Tom Fels, Jacob Hessler, Jeff Marshall, Adin Murray, Esther Pullman, Steve Rosenthal and Erma Wheeler from New England; Nell Campbell, Gail Pine and Young Suh from California; Gail Barker, Neeta Madahar and Michael Porter from the United Kingdom Opening Reception: Saturday April 13, 4:00-6:00pm
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Venue:Jane Deering Gallery, 19 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, Mass. Group show: A Turning Poing | The Contemporary Landscape Artists: Gabrielle Barzaghi, Paul Cary Goldberg, Tom Fels, Jacob Hessler, Jeff Marshall, Adin Murray, Esther Pullman, Steve Rosenthal and Erma Wheeler from New England; Nell Campbell, Gail Pine and Young Suh from California; Gail Barker, Neeta Madahar and Michael Porter from the United Kingdom Opening Reception: Saturday April 13, 4:00-6:00pm
Courtesy photographs
Esther Pullman
100648 001
Read more information about this spring exhibition here
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Artist: Gabrielle Barzaghi of Gloucester. Title of art work: Rocks and Trees 2012 pastel on paper
Jane Deering Gallery presents A Turning Point | the contemporary landscape with an opening reception Saturday April 13th from 4:00-6:00pm. The exhibition addresses the timely question Beautiful world, where are you going? and explores our fragile relationship with the natural world. The exhibition will run through mid-June and includes regional and international artists whose works are held in museum, corporate and private collections: Gabrielle Barzaghi, Tom Fels, Jacob Hessler, Jeff Marshall, Adin Murray, Esther Pullman, Steve Rosenthal from New England; Nell Campbell, Gail Pine and Youngsuk Suh from California; Gail Barker, Neeta Madahar and Michael Porter from the United Kingdom. The gallery is located at 19 Pleasant Street, Gloucester MA. Gallery hours: Friday/Saturday/Sunday 1:00-5:00pm and by appointment at 917-902-4359 or info@janedeeringgallery.com.
The exhibition Paige Farrell | Relationships at Jane Deering Gallery, 19 Pleasant Street, Gloucester MA continues through February 27th. Selections from Farrell’s writings are paired with her closely observed motifs, some man made, some natural. The sense of place whether the weather or locale becomes all Farrell– often soft, atmospheric and peaceful.
Scenes from the reception
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For the NEA 2019 Artworks – 972 of 1605 eligible grants were funded (ranging from $10,000-$100,00 totaling more than $25 million)
For the NEA 2019 Challenge America – 138 of 221 eligible applications to receive $10,000 each for a total of $1.38 million
For the NEA 2019 Creative Writing Fellowships in poetry– 35 of 1700 eligible applicants (none having won an NEA fellowship before) to receive $25,000 each. “Visit the Arts Endowment’s Literature Fellowships webpage to read excerpts by and features on past Creative Writing Fellows and recipients of Literature Fellowships for translation projects.”
Comparison by state from N. Dakota 1 grant $30,000 to NYC 252 grants 6.8 million
Don’t miss evocative pairings Paige Farrell solo exhibition
The exhibition Paige Farrell | Relationships will be at Jane Deering Gallery, 19 Pleasant Street, Gloucester MA through February 27th with a reception on Saturday February 23rd from 4:00-6:30pm. Farrell (writer, sommelier, and wine consultant) reveals the relationship between the world of two arts — the art of photography and the art of the grape. Her monthly wine column appears in Northshore Magazine, and she writes for The SOMM Journal, Boston Wine School, Winestone, and Reservoir and Wollaston Wine & Spirits. Farrell will be traveling to Valencia, Spain in March as the official wine correspondent for the Boston press, then to the Champagne region in France. Farrell holds a BA in French from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with studies at Paris-Sorbonne University, Paris, France and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Presently, she is a Diploma Candidate with the prestigious Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). Gallery hours: Saturday and Sunday 12noon-5:00pm and by appointment at farrellpaige@gmail.com
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For the past 17 years, Ronda Faloon has been a constant champion for the Cape Ann Museum. During her tenure as Executive Director she has guided us through a period of tremendous growth. She has expanded our facilities, grown our visitation and membership and elevated the role that the Cape Ann Museum plays within our community. She has advanced our mission and made the Cape Ann Museum a truly special place.
When Ronda first announced that she would retire in the spring of 2019, the Board of Directors formed a Search Committee, co-chaired by Board members Henrietta Gates and Suzi Natti. The Board also engaged the services of a nationally recognized firm that specializes in museum related executive searches. The Search Committee was focused on identifying an individual who would understand and appreciate who we are as an organization and would have the ability to guide us through the implementation of our Strategic Plan 2018-2023.
Inquiries and applications were received from all over the country. The Search Committee met and reviewed many candidates who were evaluated based on their ability to serve the needs of the Museum, our membership and our community.
I am pleased to announce that the search has been successful.
Effective April 1, 2019 Oliver Barker will become Director of the Cape Ann Museum.
Oliver joins us from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston where he supervises a portfolio of fundraising and international engagements and is responsible for developing partnerships with foundations, corporations and governments. Prior to joining the MFA, Oliver worked as Curator & Project Director for the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation. He began his career as the Director of Education & Visitor Services for the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy where he lived for nearly a decade. Oliver holds a master’s degree in Arts and Cultural Management from the University of Melbourne and an Honors Degree in Fine Arts, Painting and Printmaking from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), in Melbourne, Australia.
Oliver has deep family ties in Gloucester* and has been a frequent visitor to the Cape Ann Museum for 20 years. He lives in Wenham with his wife and children.
I am confident that you will enjoy meeting Oliver and getting to know him. He is a thoughtful, respectful and charismatic leader who has the ability and perspective required to guide us through the next chapter of our own story.
Thank you for your continued support of the Museum. I look forward to seeing you at one of the Museum’s many great events this year, including Homer at the Beach: A Marine Painter’s Journey, 1869-1880, opening in August.
Sincere regards,
Charles D. Esdaile
President, Board of Directors
*Lundbergs
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Over the past few years, museums join in the Super Bowl spirit via trash talk on social media accounts. From humorous challenges and clever collection puns it’s morphed into big stake art bets for Super Bowl contenders: Some wins have triggered a museum loan from the losing city’s rival fine arts institution. Yesterday (see below) the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, announced a twitter showdown with the J Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Look for #MuseumBowl and @mfaboston and @GettyMuseum. It’s going down at 3pm TODAY, Friday, Feb 1, 2019. I don’t know if there’s a wager but I hope so! It’s great fun no matter what.
The MFA makes good use of their archives dog, Riley.
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Signs of clearing for the exciting Cape Ann Museum addition for a curatorial center on the White-Ellery property January 2019 Gloucester, Massachusetts
I don’t suggest that the treacherous bridge needs to be “preserved” or want to impede progress. However, I believe there is still time to repeat my pleas (since 2012). Great design impacts future investment. Is there a small way that the design can tip its hat to Edward Hopper, Gloucester, and New England for this landmark and beacon for Cape Ann, this cherished vista across the Great Marsh?
Courtney Richardson at the Cape Ann Museum shares information about an upcoming special event at the museum:
Lecture – Life on the Edge: The Ecology of Crane Beach, Saturday Jan. 19th, 3PM
The Cape Ann Museum, in collaboration with The Trustees, is pleased to present a lecture about the natural history and ecological significance of Crane Beach with ecologist Jeff Denoncour. This program is offered in conjunction with the special exhibition Sky/Horizon/Light: Perspectives on Crane Beach. This program is free for Museum members, Trustees members, Cape Ann residents or with Museum admission. Reservations required. For more information visit capeannmuseum.org or call 978-283-0455 x10.
When one thinks of Crane Beach, the sea, sun, and sand might be the first things that come to mind. But how did the forces of nature create the stunning landscape? What’s special about this incredible barrier beach and marshlands it protects? How do The Trustees protect special places and care for our vulnerable coast? Join Jeff Denoncour, an ecologist with The Trustees, for a dive into the natural history and ecological significance of Crane Beach, how they protect our coastal resources, and examples of success stories resulting from their work.
Jeff Denoncour is the Eastern Region Ecologist with The Trustees where he manages and monitors ecological resources on its properties in Eastern Massachusetts. Jeff grew up on Cape Ann and has spent most of his life living along the coast. He has 11 years of experience managing rare and endangered shorebirds that nest on beaches. For the past eight years, he has been managing the Shorebird Protection Program on Crane Beach, as well as other natural resources that make the Crane Beach such a treasured place.
This program is offered in conjunction with Sky/Horizon/Light: Perspectives on Crane Beach a special exhibition of the paintings of Dorothy “Doffie” Arnold. The works on view at the Cape Ann Museum offer an ever changing vista of Crane Beach as observed across Ipswich Bay from Arnold’s studio in Bay View (Gloucester). Painted in the 1980s, these acrylics on paper are part of larger series of works by Arnold that take as their subject the intersection of water, land and light viewed from a single vantage point over a period of years. With a low horizon line, a sky that is often turbulent and waters that range from placid to racing, the paintings reflect the strong influence of nature on the artist and her work.
A 1980 graduate of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Dorothy Arnold maintained studios in Cambridge and Gloucester. While much of her work is large scale, the Crane Beach paintings measure just 11×15 inches. Her work, which includes landscapes, still lives, figure studies and abstractions, was the subject of an international retrospective in 2001–2003. It was Arnold’s wish to exhibit her art locally in an effort to strengthen the community’s appreciation of the culture and traditions of the area.
WACC conservation teams on the ground in Gloucester, MA, 2018
Thanks to Mayor Romeo-Theken, city officials & departments and staff, residents, volunteers, archives and generous grant awards & donations, — Gloucester’s extant historic mural collection has begun a new chapter and is beginning to receive most fitting care at the illustrious Williamstown Art Conservation Center.
Located on the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute campus, The Williamstown Art Conservation Center (WACC) is a non-profit institution that was established as the regional conservation center for New England by the US government back in 1977.
The Williamstown Art Conservation Center is located on the campus of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. (architect Tadao Ando)
The summer 2017 issue of Art Conservator, WACC’s indispensable industry magazine, focused on the center’s 40th anniversary milestone and Director Tom Branchick. The back page prints the 2017 Center consortium members.
Gloucester Massachusetts art collection stands with important American collections and just might be the first municipality on this list!~
Conservators at the center assessed the condition and performed necessary triage because of the invaluable support from the city’s Community Preservation Act (CPA). CPA funding and Williamstown Art Conservation Center’s stature are inspiring endorsements for broadcasting the project and compelling additional financial support. As money is raised, every mural will have its necessary care regimen completed. Donations in support of the mural care can be sent c/o the Auditor’s Office, City of Gloucester, 9 Dale Avenue, Gloucester, MA (note mural restoration). All murals will be displayed in Gloucester as soon as their care is completed.
Sneak peek then and now:
The former Eastern Avenue School (85 Eastern Avenue) was the site for the monumental mural, Schooldays, by Frederick L. Stoddard, from 1936. This multi-panel triptych was painted 8 feet high and nearly 60 feet long despite an array of unusual architectural challenges. My hunch for its original location on the main floor was confirmed thanks to Barbara Tarr. I’m looking for interior photos of the school that show the mural installed. Over time the school walls were resurfaced, doors blocked, and an elevator installed. Based on my expertise, I recognized that a stand alone piece was misattributed and must have been dispersed, not as bad as the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz after the flying monkeys descend-… still it was dire and will be amazing to have it whole once again! Special thanks go to Gloucester’s Department of Public Works.
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News from Cape Ann Museum:
Good Morning Gloucester 