Tag: Art

Cape Ann Museum & The Trustees present “Life On the Edge: The Ecology of Crane Beach” Jeff Denoncour lecture

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courtesy photo for cape ann museum_0448 © t. barrieau the trustees

photo credit: T. Barrieau/The Trustees

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.

cape ann museum flyer for life on the edge the ecology of crane beach special lecture in collaboration with the trustees_during dorothy arnold exhibition jan 2019

About the Cape Ann Museum Continue reading “Cape Ann Museum & The Trustees present “Life On the Edge: The Ecology of Crane Beach” Jeff Denoncour lecture” →

Ellen F. Kenny from Mass Center for the Book, Mayor Romeo-Theken, & Justine Vitale share photos from Once Upon a Contest at Cape Ann Museum

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Stop by and meet some of the participants featured in Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads at a special Cape Ann Museum CAM KIDS second Saturdays family activity on January 12, 2019, from 10AM-12PM. Later that same day, artists Mary Rhinelander and Julia Garrison are offering a printmaking linocut demo related to the Folly Cove designers and the major Virginia Lee Burton The Little House Her Story exhibition!

Thanks to the four public libraries of Cape Ann and Cape Ann Museum, Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads is a testament to the imagination and immense artistic talent of artists and authors. Below are photographs from the first reception for the exhibit at Cape Ann Museum January 5, 2019.

Courtesy photos from Ellen F. Kenny, Mass Center for the Book. Thank you for capturing the spirit of the reception at Cape Ann Museum! Mass Center for the Book Facebook [Folks featured in the big group shot from L-R: Anna Vojtech (Artist-Author), Claire Wyzenbeek (Artist-Author), Jean Woodbury (Author), Christina Ean Spangler (Artist), Maura Wadlinger (Author), Juni VanDyke (Artist), John Plunkett, Martha Geraghty ( Author), Barbara McLaughlin (Artist-Author)]

 

The Cape Ann Museum reception was beautiful. Everybody from the museum is so welcoming. The courtesy photos below document the start of the reception from Mayor Romeo Theken, Justine Vitale, and others. See Kim Smith’s photos from later in the afternoon and from another visit here! We’re so grateful to have a record of this joyous time. The show continues at Cape Ann Museum through February 24 before traveling throughout Cape Ann in 2019.

Installation view Once Upon a Contest at Cape Ann Museum December 2018.jpg

 

View and/or print out the Once upon a contest selections from cape ann reads trifold brochure. It’s paginated at 6pp but can be assembled like so:

Anita Walker, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, message about the superpower of art & culture

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December 2018 looking ahead:

“We are on the front lines of a war on poverty. Not necessarily a shortage of material wealth, although its distribution in America is both a consequence and contributor to the current distress.

The poverty our field confronts every day is that which Robert Kennedy confronted while running for President in 1968. He contrasted the wealth represented in the nation’s gross national product with the wealth necessary to sustain a democracy and make life worth living. 

He said, “…the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country. It measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.”

We are currently in one of the best economies in a generation, but studies show record declines in our sense of well-being. Worse yet, life expectancy in the U.S. has declined for the third straight year. Major newspapers are sounding the alarm. In the Washington Post, George Will writes that loneliness, a major public health problem, is in “epidemic proportions” and that people are unhappier, more isolated and less fulfilled. David Brooks claims, in the New York Times, the biggest factor is the crisis of connection. We are “in a straight-up social catastrophe,” he writes. 
 
For nearly the last 20 years, those of us who advocate for the arts and culture have made the economy the centerpiece of our argument. We’ve collected economic impact data, counted the jobs we create and the taxes we generate, and touted our centrality to the tourism industry. We became the poster child of the creative economy. In an environment of it’s the economy stupid, these arguments won over state legislators and delivered budget increases to state arts agencies.

Five years ago, I wrote a column for a national arts blog suggesting that it was time to dial back the economic argument, even suggesting that there is something powerful about the intrinsic value of the arts. That the transforming power of culture is the power of creative expression, human engagement, and empathy. 

This is the poverty of our time. When Kennedy spoke of joy, beauty, intelligence, integrity, wit, wisdom, courage, compassion, and devotion he spoke of the ideals that are inherent in art and culture.

The arts and culture are the antidote to what ails us as a nation. In fact, they can both prevent and cure. Studies show that creative and cultural participation enhances human health and well-being leading to: reduced social isolation; opportunities for learning; calming experiences and decreased anxiety; more optimism, hope and enjoyment; increased self-esteem and sense of identity; increased inspiration and “meaning-making;” and better communication.

I can write about the studies and outcomes, but the heart is more articulate:
“It is a remarkable experience to witness a high school student watching a young adult with down’s syndrome or cerebral palsy offer a sonnet, and think to himself, ‘I want to do that. I want to have that kind of courage, that kind of conviction.’ Or to be a man or a woman of any age and watch someone you have typecast in your heart of hearts as somehow less than, stand in the center of a crowd and speak a truth about what it is like to dream of being seen for all of what you offer and know that a wall has just fallen…and through that kind of honest performance, know that you have been changed for the better,” writes Maria Sirois about Community Access to the Arts in Great Barrington, an organization that unleashes the arts in people with disabilities.

Music can help stroke victims regain their speech. You’re never too old to sing, or dance, or paint. Victims of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia find calm and clarity through the arts. Art is a universal language that bridges race, ethnicity, and culture – in a neighborhood, or across continents. The arts help explain the complexity of physics or climate change. Science and art are close cousins, sharing the bloodlines of creativity, risk taking, and problem solving.
 
Massachusetts cultural organizations are committed to serving everybody in the Commonwealth. They joined a new program this year to offer the benefits only the arts and culture can provide to people who have fallen on hard times and are receiving assistance through the state EBT card, a card that provides help to families living near the poverty level. Our organizations agreed to offer free or greatly reduced admission prices to EBT cardholders. In our first year, we tracked 220,000 EBT admissions. 

Nearly a quarter of a million doses of arts and culture to people in need. Again, the heart is in the stories. One concertgoer, who had not been able to attend a concert in years said, “It was nice to have a slice of my old life back.” Another said “It’s hard to describe the feeling of being able to do something ‘normal’ when everything else isn’t.”

The Mass Cultural Council is not an economic development agency, but when we do arts well, tourists visit and spend money, communities become destinations and better places to live, jobs are supported and created, innovators want to live here, and build new businesses.
 
The Mass Cultural Council is not an education agency, but when children have a quality experience participating in the arts, in school, and out of school, they exercise their creative minds, learn to think critically, are better observers and team players, and get a better education.

The Mass Cultural Council is not a human service agency, but when some of our most troubled youth participate in arts programs that give them a productive outlet for their fears and anger, provide a supportive community, build self-esteem and teach skills that will last a lifetime, these young people are saved from gangs, prison, drugs, even death.

In her book “Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities,” philosopher Martha Nussbaum writes:

“Citizens cannot relate well to the complex world around them by factual knowledge and logic alone. The third ability of the citizen, closely related to the first two, is what we can call the narrative imagination. This means the ability to think what it might be like to be in the shoes of a person different from oneself, to be an intelligent reader of that person’s story, and to understand the emotions and wishes and desires that someone so placed might have.”

Martha Nussbaum is a close reader of Aristotle, who defined the good life as one that was authentically meaningfully rich: rich with relationships, ideas, emotion, health and vigor, recognition and contribution, passion and fulfillment, great accomplishment, and enduring achievement.

George Will writes of the crumbling of America’s social infrastructure and the need for new habits of mind and heart, new practices of neighborliness. David Brooks says, “It’s not jobs, jobs, jobs anymore. It’s relationships, relationships, relationships.” Real relationships, not virtual or transactional ones. True engagement of heart and mind.

The poverty we face is one we can defeat. Novelist Alice Walker once said, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”
 
Story. Imagination. Empathy. This is our superpower: the power of culture.” – 
Anita Walker , Executive Director, Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) 

Visit the Mass Cultural Council website

Have a podcast listen – Creative Minds Out Loud:  podcast for art and Culture –  Informative and lively conversations with arts and cultural leaders. Creative Minds Out Loud is a project of the Mass Cultural Council, and is hosted by Executive Director Anita Walker. https://creativemindsoutloud.org

 

 

Don’t miss artists Mary Rhinelander and Julia Garrison give special block printing demonstration at Cape Ann Museum

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rhinelander - snow day

Blockprinting Demonstration in the Gallery

Artists Mary Rhinelander and Julia Garrison demonstrate the techniques of the Folly Cove Designers

The Cape Ann Museum is pleased present a blockprinting demonstration with artists Mary Rhinelander and Julia Garrison on Saturday, January 12 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. These artists have long been inspired by the Folly Cove Designers. Drop by the Museum to see the Folly Cove Designers exhibition and to watch printing in action. This program is free for Museum members, Cape Ann residents or with Museum admission. For more information visit capeannmuseum.org or call 978-283-0455 x10.

Mary Rhinelander is a professional artist with an MFA in printmaking.  She has had many solo and group shows and her work is in both public and private collections. She has painted murals, designed logos and book covers, illustrated for a variety of publications, and taught students of all ages.  In 2004 she founded a fine art card business, Mermade Press. With a deep affinity for the Folly Cove Designers and Virginia Lee Burton in particular, it has been Mary’s great pleasure to bring block printing workshops into Cape Ann’s public schools with the support of CAM and the Gloucester Education Foundation. Mary will be joined by Julia Garrison, an artist with ties to Lanesville, who until recently owned and operated the Sarah Elizabeth Shop in Rockport’s Whistlestop Mall.

The Folly Cove Designers were a group of 45 designer-craftsmen who worked together between 1938 and 1969 producing carefully wrought designs cut into linoleum blocks and printed (primarily) on fabric. Their common interest was in producing solid designs and in good craftsmanship. The Folly Cove Designers was composed almost entirely of women, most being residents of Cape Ann and a majority having no artistic training prior to becoming involved in the group. They worked under the leadership of Virginia Lee Burton Demetrios, who devised a design course which she offered to her friends and neighbors in the Folly Cove neighborhood. Participants were urged by Demetrios to look to their surroundings for inspiration, to draw “what they knew” and to sketch their subjects over and over again until they made them their own. This program is offered in conjunction with the special exhibition The Little House: Her Story which takes a closer look at Virginia Lee Burton Demetrios and her award winning story, The Little House.

Mary will also be teaching a blockprinting class on Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. starting on January 23.

This custom 4-week course for adults offers the opportunity to create artwork surrounded by the inspirational work of the Folly Cove Designers. Sketch, carve linoleum blocks and print an original work to take home. Materials provided. $125 CAM members/$145 nonmembers. Space is limited, registration required.

Image credit: Snow Day. Courtesy of Mary Rhinelander.

About the Cape Ann Museum

The Cape Ann Museum has been in existence since the 1870s, working to preserve and celebrate the history and culture of the area and to keep it relevant to today’s audiences. Spanning 44,000 square feet, the Museum is one of the major cultural institutions on Boston’s North Shore welcoming more than 25,000 local, national and international visitors each year to its exhibitions and programs. In addition to fine art, the Museum’s collections include decorative art, textiles, artifacts from the maritime and granite industries, two historic homes and a sculpture park in the heart of downtown Gloucester. Visit capeannmuseum.org for details.

The Museum is located at 27 Pleasant Street in Gloucester. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $12.00 adults, $10.00 Cape Ann residents, seniors and students. Youth (under 18) and Museum members are free. For more information please call: (978)283-0455 x10. Additional information can be found online at www.capeannmuseum.org.

mary rhinelander and julia garrison blockprinting demo at cape ann museum for virginia lee burton her story and folly cove designers exhibition jan 2019

Super fun winter vacation at Cape Ann Art Haven & Cape Ann Museum

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It’s inspiring to see the creative collaborative energy among downtown Gloucester mainstays. Here’s Cape Ann Art Haven winter vacation line up with Cape Ann Museum: They often work together to present engaging camps and events. The 2018 winter vacation at Art Haven includes visits to the Virginia Lee Burton retrospective and the Cape Ann libraries’ Once Upon a Contest Selections from Cape Ann Reads travel exhibit at Cape Ann Museum. Both shows are ideal context for the camp’s theme: “Imagine and create new worlds!”

Cape Ann Art Haven Cape Ann Museum 2018

Cape Ann Residents Enjoy FREE Admission January at Cape Ann Museum and you should see the line up of special art events!

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CAPE ANN MUSEUM free admission to cape ann residents in january each year_©c ryan

Upcoming shows and special events planned for January- check out the news from Cape Ann Museum. Become a member!

January is Membership Month! Cape Ann Residents Enjoy Free Admission All Month

GLOUCESTER, Mass. (December 19, 2018) – The Cape Ann Museum is pleased to announce that January is Membership Month, a time when all Cape Ann residents are invited to visit the Museum and participate in programs free of charge. The goal of membership month is to show the Cape Ann community the benefits of enjoying the Museum all year!

The Cape Ann Museum tells multiple stories, all relating to a single remarkable place and during the month of January all Cape Ann residents (Rockport, Gloucester, Manchester-by-the-Sea and Essex) are welcome to enjoy its galleries for free.  From Cape Ann’s earliest days as a fishing and shipping port to its mid-19th century role in the granite industry, to its singular charms of light and sea that have attracted countless artists from the 19th century to the present, Cape Ann boasts a rich and varied culture of nationally significant historical, industrial, and artistic achievement.  If you’ve never been to the Cape Ann Museum before, now is the time. Its collections represent the history of this remarkable place, its people, its industries and especially its art and culture—we invite you to explore!

In addition to its permanent collections, the Museum offers a rotating schedule of special exhibitions throughout the year as well as related programs and events for adults and families. This is a wonderful opportunity to visit (or revisit) the current special exhibition, The Little House: Her Story which celebrates the 75th anniversary of the publication of the Little House, written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton and the newly opened exhibition Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads, award-winning children’s books by local artists and writers inspired by the 2017 Cape Ann Reads original picture book competition. Also on display are the paintings of Crane Beach by Dorothy Arnold in the special exhibition Sky, Horizon, Light: Perspectives on Crane Beach.

Whether you are looking to spend a quiet day of contemplation after the busy holiday season, wishing to share a bit of your home town with guests or have lived here for years but just never visited, the Cape Ann Museum welcomes you for a visit celebrating you and this wonderful place in which you chose to live.

In addition to free admission, the Museum has lined up a full schedule of programming for visitors to enjoy:

Wednesdays from 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p..m.
Story Time in the Gallery

Young visitors are invited to join CAM staff and special guests for story time in the gallery. Offered in conjunction with The Little House: Her Story and Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads. Free and open to the public. Museum closes at 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, January 5 at 10:30 a.m.
Winter Shorts Gallery Tours

Join CAM docents for three 20-minute themed mini tours. Topics include: artists who captured similar subjects; provocative portraits; and Virginia Lee Burton as teacher. Free for Museum Members and Cape Ann residents or with Museum admission. Reservations recommended and can be made at camuseum.eventbrite.com.

Saturday, January 5 from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.  
Opening Reception – Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads

Join us for a celebration of the award-winning children’s book authors and illustrators inspired by the 2017 Cape Ann Reads original picture book competition. Free for Museum members and Cape Ann residents or with Museum admission.

Wednesday, January 9, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Appraisal Night with Brattle Book Shop’s Ken Gloss

Join Antiques Road Show veteran Ken Gloss for a closer look at antique books and manuscripts, with special emphasis on children’s literature. Offered in conjunction with The Little House: Her Story. Free for Museum members and Cape Ann residents; $10 nonmembers/nonresidents. Reservations required and can be made at camuseum.eventbrite.com.

Thursday, January 10 at 10:30 a.m.
Young at Art: At the Beach

Toddlers and caregivers are invited to take a closer look at Sky, Horizon, Light: Perspectives on Crane Beach

Free for CAM members, Cape Ann residents or with Museum admission. Space is limited. Reservations required. For more information or to make a reservation, please call 978-238-0455 x12 or email sarahflanagan@capeannmuseum.org.

Saturday, January 12 from 10:00 – 12:00 p.m.
CAMKids Second Saturdays: Cape Ann Reads

Explore the inventive worlds of children’s book illustrators in the Cape Ann Reads exhibition then create your own storybook in the Activity Center. This program is free and open to the public. For more information or to make a reservation, please call 978-283-0455 x16 or email sarahflanagan@capeannmuseum.org.

Saturday, January 12 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Blockprinting Demonstration

Drop by to see blockprinting in action with artist Mary Rhinelander. Offered in conjunction with The Little House: Her Story. Free for Museum members and Cape Ann residents or with Museum admission.

Friday, January 18 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Surveying the Collections: Historic Quilts

On select Fridays through April, the public is invited to observe CAM curatorial staff as they survey the collection. Join us for one session or all four to gain a better understanding of the Museum’s holdings. Free for Museum members, Cape Ann residents or with Museum admission.

Saturday, January 19 at 10:30 a.m.
Winter Shorts Gallery Tours

Join CAM docents for three 20-minute themed mini tours. Topics include: practical art objects; cloud paintings; and artwork in the Captain Elias Davis House. Free for Museum Members and Cape Ann residents or with Museum admission. Reservations recommended and can be made at camuseum.eventbrite.com.

Saturday, January 19 at 3:00 p.m.
Perspectives on Crane Beach Ecology

Join Trustees’ coastal ecologist Jeff Denoncour for an overview of Crane Beach. Offered in conjunction with Sky, Horizon, Light: Perspectives on Crane Beach. Free for Museum members and Cape Ann residents; $10 nonmembers/nonresidents. Reservations required and can be made at camuseum.eventbrite.com.

Saturday, January 26 at 10:30 a.m.
Winter Shorts Gallery Tours

Join CAM docents for three 20-minute themed mini tours. Topics include: Cape Ann granite; the year 1804; and I spy. Free for CAM Members and Cape Ann residents or with Museum admission. Reservations recommended and can be made at camuseum.eventbrite.com.

Saturday, January 26 at 1:00 p.m.
Family Tour

Enjoy an animated family tour of the Museum to explore paintings, sculptures and maritime objects. Created for children ages 3 – 12 with a caregiver. This 30-minute tour ends in the Activity Center for art projects and play. Free for CAM members or with Museum admission. Reservations required. For more information or to make a reservation, please call 978-283-0455 x16 or email sarahflanagan@capeannmuseum.org. 

Saturday, January 26 at 1:00 p.m.
A Conversation with the Curators

Gallery A4 Chief Curator Michiyo Okabe and Atsuko Tanaka join CAM Curator Martha Oaks to discuss the cultural collaboration behind The Little House: Her Story. Free for Museum members and Cape Ann residents; $10 nonmembers/nonresidents. Reservations required and can be made at camuseum.eventbrite.com.

 

About the Cape Ann Museum

The Cape Ann Museum has been in existence since the 1870s, working to preserve and celebrate the history and culture of the area and to keep it relevant to today’s audiences. Spanning 44,000 square feet, the Museum is one of the major cultural institutions on Boston’s North Shore welcoming more than 25,000 local, national and international visitors each year to its exhibitions and programs. In addition to fine art, the Museum’s collections include decorative art, textiles, artifacts from the maritime and granite industries, two historic homes and a sculpture park in the heart of downtown Gloucester. Visit capeannmuseum.org for details.

The Museum is located at 27 Pleasant Street in Gloucester. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $12.00 adults, $10.00 Cape Ann residents, seniors and students. Youth (under 18) and Museum members are free. For more information please call: (978)283-0455 x10. Additional information can be found online at http://www.capeannmuseum.org.

 

 

Cape Ann Museum launches travel exhibit: Once Upon a Contest – Selections from Cape Ann Reads children’s picture books!

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Discover a world of new, original picture books through art! Courtney Richardson shares Cape Ann Museum’s news for the Once Upon a Contest group exhibition  opening next week:

Cape Ann Museum Meredith Anderson designed header for Once Upon a Contest

Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads

A special exhibition celebrating local children’s book authors and illustrators

 GLOUCESTER, Mass. (December 14, 2018) – The Cape Ann Museum is pleased to present Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads, a ground breaking show on view until February 24, 2019, stemming from the country’s first children’s picture book contest hosted by four public libraries. The exhibition brings special attention to award-winning local artists and writers and the art of children’s picture books. There will be an opening celebration on Saturday, January 5 from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. This program is free for Museum members, Cape Ann Residents or with Museum admission.  For more information visit capeannmuseum.org or call 978-283-0455 x10. 

Once Upon a Contest was drawn from manuscripts recognized for distinction during the Cape Ann Reads 2017 original picture book competition.  The special group show was organized and circulated by curator, Catherine Ryan, with support from the Bruce J Anderson Foundation | The Boston Fund.  Visitors will find picture books created by traditional author-illustrators (individuals who create both text and illustrations), friends and family pairings, repeat partnerships, volunteer match ups, self-taught and master artists, storytellers, published authors, and educators. 

The exhibit features work by:  Leslie Galacar, Martha Shaw Geraghty, Marion Hall, Steven Kennedy, Charles King, George King, Michael LaPenna, James McKenna, Barbara McLaughlin, Alexia Parker, Victoria Petway, Jim Plunkett, Diane Polley, Mary Rhinelander, James Seavey, Gail Seavey, Kim Smith, Christina Ean Spangler, Bonnie L. Sylvester, Juni VanDyke, Maura Wadlinger, Betty Allenbrook Wiberg, Kirsten Allenbrook Wiberg, Jean Woodbury, and Claire Wyzenbeek.

For a few, inclusion in this show will mark their debut display at a museum. The works on view range from preliminary mock ups and unfinished pages to final published illustrations for original books. They cover diverse themes and points of view and provide glimpses into stories and methodologies. The exhibition will include a reading nook for visitors of all ages.

Cape Ann Reads came about in 2015 when the four public libraries on Cape Ann –Gloucester Lyceum & Sawyer Free Public Library; Manchester by the Sea Public Library; TOHP Burnham Public Library, Essex; and Rockport Public Library– began to work together to encourage and highlight community creativity, regional collaboration, and family literacy through a focus on children’s picture books. “A passion for writing literature and the arts is one thing that ties all four communities together making Cape Ann Reads a meaningful collaboration between our four libraries and the Cape Ann Museum,” explained Cindy Grove, Director, Rockport Public Library.

During the first year of implementation, the collaborating public libraries and Cape Ann Museum offered innovative monthly programming and free picture book themed workshops for families and adults as a vehicle for family literacy, a work of art and literature, and a form of engagement and recreation. The vibrant endeavor culminated in a public art call, Cape Ann Creates for Cape Ann Reads. “What an opportunity for a talented individual or individuals to produce a lasting piece of literature with such special meaning,” exclaimed Deborah French, Director, T.O.H.P. Burnham Library, Essex.

Scores of Cape Ann creatives responded to this open call for a chance to win a first edition printing. In fact, so much interest occurred that a writer’s group led by Gloucester Writers Center was established, and volunteer artists and writers stepped up to help people without a partner. Two jury panels selected Gulliver, Honor and Medal books in the spring of 2017.

The jury panel included librarians, acclaimed children’s book author-illustrators and a rare books dealer: Carol Bender, Pat Lowery Collins, Ann Cowman, Kate Strong Stadt, Giles Laroche, Bob Ritchie, Justine Vitale, Anna Vojtech, and April Wanner. Five children served on the kids panel. A reception and book fair was held in Gloucester’s City Hall in January 2018 thanks to Mayor Sefatia Romeo-Theken. Original sculpture trophies of the bespectacled Cape Ann Reads mascot, “Gulliver”, by fine artist Jason Burroughs, were presented to the Honor and Medal book recipients. Cape Ann Reads continues to foster connections among the children’s picture book network, and generate business. Six books have been self-published, reviewed, and sold in local stores. Reflecting on this boon, Sara Collins, Director of the Manchester by the Sea Public Library said “Cape Ann Reads has been an innovative incubator for authors and illustrators, with the offspring as marvelous and varied as you can imagine in this creative community.”

“The Cape Ann Museum is pleased to launch this important Cape Ann Reads exhibition just as it was to kick off the first Cape Ann Reads program with the Eric Carle Museum back in January 2016, ” said Ronda Faloon, Director Cape Ann Museum. The Museum scheduled the exhibition to coincide with the major Virginia Lee Burton retrospective, The Little House: Her Story, and the month of January when the Museum is free to area residents. The legacy of Burton is an inspiration for many Cape Ann Reads participants.

Once Upon a Contest opens in December 2018 and continues until February 24, 2019. Following its launch at the Cape Ann Museum, the exhibition will tour the four communities of Cape Ann throughout 2019 as follows: Manchester in April, Essex in May-June, Gloucester in August-September, and Rockport in October-November.

 

 

Cape Ann Reads group exhibition.jpg

In addition to the opening reception on Saturday, January 5, 2019

The Cape Ann Museum will offer weekly story time with Museum staff and guest readers on Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m. through March 31, 2019. On Saturday, January 12 from 10:00 a.m.  – 12:00 p.m. children and their families are invited to enjoy the special exhibition and participate in hands on art making and writing activities. This program is free and open to the public.  

During February school vacation week, the Museum will host children’s book creation workshops for school age students from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 19 through Friday, February 22, featuring Leslie Galacar, Betty Allenbrook Wiberg, Claire Wyzenbeek, and Alexia Parker. These workshops are $15 for CAM Members or $25 nonmembers. To register contact Sarah Flanagan at 978-283-0455 x16 or email sarahflanagan@capeannmuseum.org.

 

Cape Ann Museum Once Upon a Contest montage.jpg Image credits: A Community Effort

  • The four Library Directors of Cape Ann announcing “Gulliver,” the public’s name choice for the Cape Ann Reads mascot (left to right: Deb French, TOHP Burnham; Cindy Grove, Rockport; Deborah Kelsey, Gloucester; Sara Collins, Manchester), July 2016.
  • Cape Ann Reads kids jury selection panel (left to right: Josie, Alycia, Eli, Lucas, John). Deliberations were held at Cape Ann Museum, March 2017.
  • Bonnie L. Sylvester, illustrator (left) and Jean Woodbury, author (right) of The Tree in Dock Square, the first Cape Ann Reads Medal book, June 2017.
  • Claire Wyzenbeek (author and illustrator Henrietta’s Moon Egg) at her booth for Cape Ann Reads children’s picture book reception and book fair, January 27, 2018, City Hall Gloucester MA. ©Linda Bosselman.

The lovely, clever header and flyer were designed by Meredith Anderson at Cape Museum. A printable version is available below the break – please print, post and share!

And here is a link to a printable Once Upon a Contest press release

cape ann reads-web

Continue reading “Cape Ann Museum launches travel exhibit: Once Upon a Contest – Selections from Cape Ann Reads children’s picture books!” →

Jeffrey Marshall opens at Jane Deering Gallery

Posted on by Catherine

Jane Deering Gallery opening reception of Jeffrey Marshall | Working the Waterfront Saturday, December 15th, 4:00 — 6:30 pm @ 19 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, MA

 

from the release:

“Jeff Marshall’s studio sits above the tide on Smith Cove and overlooks a truck corral down at the Morse Sibley Wharf. It’s where fisherman hitch their workhorses for however long it takes to get the fish from out there to back here. The ancient pilings driven deep into clay centuries ago and sistered to newer stringers form a solid structure. …. Pickup trucks rest on a scrapple of broken asphalt penned-in by rusting cargo containers and dredges laced with Tansy gone to seed. … Decomposing memories of fisheries past – a Gillnet dries on a wooden spool and a stone-age winch is ready to start a new life as a mooring stone. Future fishers will shelter in the lee of their steeds to talk weather, the price of fish and about that new electric pick-up truck, they’re gonna get someday. So now comes Marshall to set himself, easel, paints and tools at the hub of this sometimes milling sometimes solitary station where fishers hitch their warhorses, cast the lines and slip to the fog. He knows the situation and the terrain down the old pier and his subjects know how to hold a pose.”- Ken Riaf 2018 from the catalogue essay of the exhibition Gone …..Fishing
“The contested landscape has been my subject for over a decade, from the post-Katrina neighborhoods of New Orleans to the coastline of Massachusetts. I look for imagery that echoes the complex social and environmental issues of specific places that I love. The subjects I choose are often overlooked, revealed as thematic possibilities only after intense visual research of a site. When I moved into my studio at Morse-Sibley Wharf in East Gloucester in 2016, I spent months drawing as a way of taking inventory of my surroundings, much of which I was lucky enough to view from my windows. This long process of drawing and painting from observation has allowed me to focus on what seems to drive the work, friendships, family, and struggles of the fishermen and lobstermen who show up to this place every day.” — Jeffrey Marshall 2018

image of artist Jeffrey Marshall working at Morse-Sibley Wharf on Monster Truck #3_Gloucester MA_ courtesy photo.jpg

About the artist

Jeffrey Marshall has a BFA from Cornell University and and MFA in painting and printmaking from Massachusetts College of Art. He is a lifelong educator, most recently an Associate Professor of Art Foundation at Mount Ida College in Newton, MA. Previously he was Associate Professor of Graphic Design at The New England Institute of Art. His teaching career started with Teach for America in New Orleans, where he taught elementary school. His drawings and paintings have been shown in many national venues, including the Cape Ann Museum, Aspen Museum of Art, The University of Rhode Island, The Boston Center for the Arts, and Endicott College among many others. His New Orleans Drawing Project, a 10-year document of the city’s post-Katrina Recovery, was featured in The New York Times, Art New England and Artscope Magazine. The artist lives/works in Gloucester MA; he maintains a studio on Morse-Sibley Wharf.

Jane Deering Gallery, 19 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, MA
info@janedeeringgallery.com
janedeeringgallery.com
facebook.com/JaneDeeringGallery

‘Christmas with the Bach Family’ magical Musicians of the Old Post Road with opera soloists coming to Gloucester Meetinghouse UU Church

Posted on by Catherine

GLOUCESTER MEETINGHOUSE FOUNDATION presents The Musicians of the Old Post Road ‘Christmas with the Bach Family’ Friday, December 14, 2018, 7:30pm Corner of Middle & Church Street, Gloucester, MA

Christmas Bach Concert Poster, GMF 12-14-18.jpg

Press release from the Gloucester Meetinghouse: Continue reading “‘Christmas with the Bach Family’ magical Musicians of the Old Post Road with opera soloists coming to Gloucester Meetinghouse UU Church” →

Hundreds of riveted readers | Patricia and Donald Oresman renowned art collection selling at Doyle’s Auction 11/20/18

Posted on by Catherine

I’ve been an arts adviser, curator and gallerist  for more than three decades. Patricia and Donald Oresman were clients and friends– curious, erudite, generous and kind. The Doyle auction on Tuesday November 20, 2018 features 567 works from their renowned collection. Have some fun viewing – they loved to share it– here’s a link to the complete catalogue on line: https://doyle.com/sites/default/files/pdf/catalogue/2018-11-15/18OR01-catalogue_0.pdf 

Patricia and Donald Oresman sale at Doyles Tuesday November 20 2018 _
Cover art- I sold “Special Edition“, a 1936 color linocut masterwork, by Australian artist, Ethel Spowers (1890-1947) acclaimed Grosvenor School of Modern Artist 

 

photos of the Oresman collection illustrated in the Doyle auction catalogue (for Cape Ann locals- there is one work inspired by Gloucester, and some artists with connection here, e.g. Louis Lozowick, John and a Helen Farr Sloan, and a couple of works by Sally Avery, etc.)

 

Throwback photos at the Oresman library. I suppose a more accurate photo of Donald would show him sporting his favorite hat. He took it off when he met my kids 🙂 

.Oresman’s library
.
.Patricia
.Patricia
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First snow fell before Thanksgiving- here’s how it looked on Main Street and goodlinens studio #GloucesterMA

Posted on by Catherine

Main Street Gloucester, MA- First snow of the season Nov 15, 2018 

goodlinens studio useful goods and gifts for bath, kitchen and home, functional art, fine art and featured artisan panels

goodlinens studio and homegoods_20181115_©c ryan.jpg

Before Thanksgiving_First snow new lights_Main Street_ Gloucester Ma_gif_20181115_©c ryan

NEW! custom order trays– featuring local work by artists Loren Doucette and Coco Berkman– were designed by architects Ann Clark and Lena Georas and digitally printed on Baltic birch plywood, each piece of LAMOU serveware is created in Rhode Island.

 

 

Installation views of Geoffrey Bayliss Harvest series- art show opens Nov 17 Jane Deering Gallery

Posted on by Catherine

The Art of Geoffrey Bayliss OPENING RECEPTION SATURDAY NOVEMBER 17th FROM 1-4PM

Fun Saturday downtown- The artist’s Harvest series opens at Jane Deering Gallery at Pleasant Street and Middle Street, on the same day as CAFM’s Harvest market and the Sargent House’s 2018 Middle Street Harvest Festival.

from Jane Deering Gallery-

Jane Deering Gallery is pleased to present The Art of Geoffrey Bayliss, November 10-December 10 with an Open Reception Saturday November 17th from 1:00-4:00pm at 19 Pleasant Street, Gloucester. The artist’s latest work — two suites of unique linocut prints — will be on view in the exhibition titled Harvest.  Blue Harvest, a series of 13 prints in beautiful color, and the companion series, Red Harvest, achieve a range of complexity emblematic of the reductive technique. Accompanying the new prints is a flock of highly inventive papier-mâché birds, fresh from the studio and ready for new destinations. These delightful objects are the result of explorations in papier-mâché by Bayliss and artist/printmaker Coco Berkman with whom Bayliss continues to study. The artist has generously offered to donate his proceeds from the sale of these works-in-progress to The Open Door/Cape Ann Food Pantry.

Bayliss, a native of Gloucester, holds a BA in architecture from Columbia University. He has studied with artist Celia Eldridge, sculptor John Bozarth, printmaker Coco Berkman, and artist Charlotte Roberts.  His work is held in numerous private collections in the US.  This is the artist’s 3rd solo show with Jane Deering Gallery. The gallery will be open Saturday & Sunday 1-4pm, November 10 – December 10, and by chance or appointment at 917-902-4359, info@janedeeringgallery.com, 19 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, MA. 01930.

 

Nicole Dahlmer pre-holiday pop up

Posted on by Catherine

nicole dahlmer.jpg

Nicole Dahlmer, a Gloucester based photographer, announces a pre holiday pop-up:

Please join me for a pre-holiday pop-up hosted at The Dahlmer Household on Sunday, Nov 18th, 5:30-7:30pm. Guests will have a chance to stock up on my greeting cards before the holidays & before any other fall/winter events I am participating in. There will be light refreshments available. 

Nicole.jpg

Sold 91+ million! Edward Hopper crushes world auction records at Christie’s American sale

Posted on by Catherine

The 1929 painting, Chop Suey, by Edward Hopper, sold for $91,875,000 (including auction and buyer premiums) on November 13, 2018. It was the premiere lot at Christie’s November sale of American art, and provided quite a return for the heirs dispensing the Barney A. Ebsworth marquee collection. A native of St. Louis, Ebsworth made his fortune in the travel industry (Royal Cruise Lines). He maintained ties with museums across the country because of his stellar collection. Reportedly, Ebsworth promised to gift the painting to the Seattle Art Museum about 2007 and contradicted those statements in later years. Even if it’s spelled out directly, wills and contracts can be broken.

The hammer price for Chop Suey was 85 million net which fell squarely within its presale auction estimate range of 70 million to 100 million. The buyer is unknown. There was a bidding war, and initial rumors suggest it was acquired for a public collection.

Hopper’s prices have raced since 2000. Hopper’s former record at auction was 40.5 million- also at Christie’s– for East Wind Over Weehawken, a 1934 oil painting sold  on November 26, 2013. That sale toppled Hopper’s prior record of $26.9 million (for Hotel Window).

Just ten years ago, one of Hopper’s large Gloucester houses drawings, Prospect Street Gloucester, 1928/1929, sold for 2 million from yet another Christie’s sale.  Hopper’s 1934 oil painting Sun on Prospect Street has been part of the Cincinnati Art Museum collection as a result of the Edwin and Virginia Irwin Memorial since 1959.

At 8.4 million, Cape Ann Granite was a savvy purchase from the sales last spring.

c EDWARD HOPPER _Chop Suey_32 x 38_ 1929 oc_Christies presale estimate 70 mil to 100 million

Edward Hopper_Sun on Prospect Street _Cincinnati Art Museum collection

Sign up for Mass Beer week, Applechusetts trail, Mass travel stats and FREE listings

Posted on by Catherine

News from Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) massvacation.com

Boston Globe Travel Show: January 18-20, 2019

MOTT is excited to announce plans to exhibit at the 2019 Boston Globe Travel Show, which will be held at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston from January 18-20, 2019. We are planning to host a variety of costumed characters in our booth, so if you would like to feature your mascot, or wish to volunteer in the MOTT booth, please contact Phyllis M. Cahaly.

Congratulations Flynn Cruiseport Boston

Congratulations to the Flynn Cruiseport Boston on another record-breaking year of cruise passengers in the 2018 season. According to Tom Glynn, Massport CEO, Flynn Cruiseport Boston estimated that they welcomed 396,000 cruise passengers, 150 cruise ships and 20 different cruise lines to Boston. This translates to $485 million in economic output, $213 million to tourism-related businesses, nearly 2,000 jobs and $10 million in annual state and local tax revenues from cruise activity. Also, with the passing of the Economic Development Bill this past July, Massport will be spending $100 million in renovations for Flynn Cruiseport Boston which will include upgrades to efficiently handle 4,000+ passenger vessels.

Participate in Mass Beer Week

Calling all Massachusetts tap rooms, breweries, brew pubs, bottle shops, and restaurants. Join the Mass Brewers Guild, BeerAdvocate, Craft’d Events, Fat Basset Design, and the Mass. Brew Bros. in the celebration of Mass Beer Week taking place March 2-9, 2019. Joining is simple and only requires that you host an event focused exclusively on beer brewed in Massachusetts. Ideas for events include but are not limited to a Massachusetts tap takeover, beer/food pairing menus, specialty tastings, or panel discussion with brewers and consumers. For questions and additional details on how to get involved, contact the Mass Brewers Guild’s Executive Director Katie Stinchon.

New MOTT trail Applechusetts features Orchards, Cideries, and More- 
Leading up to the 24th annual Franklin County CiderDays festival, MOTT released Applechusetts, a guide to apple goods, experiences, and traditions across the Commonwealth. Applechusetts features pick-your-own orchards, farm stands, sweet treats, events, and cideries along with apple variety notes, recipes from local businesses, and hard cider tasting tips. An index and resources section at the back directs readers to MOTT and MDAR web pages for listings, maps, and more. Hard copies of Applechusetts were distributed at Franklin County’s CiderDays 2018, and a digital version of the guide is available on MOTT’s website at massvacation.com/apples.

Speaking of Franklin County’s CiderDays, MOTT also partnered with Yankee Magazine to distribute Yankee’s fall guide and a special food edition at the standout harvest festival. Mark your calendars: CiderDays will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2019. That’s 25 years of cider tastings, tours, talks, and so much more. How do you like them apples?

Applechusetts – Congratulations Russell Orchards for representing North Shore (other regional options include: Brooksby Farm, Connors, Appleton, Smolak)

 

 

Gloucester and Cape Ann were represented in two other MOTT themed guides: the Massachusetts Whale Trail and the Massachusetts Masterpiece Trail

Notable Media Coverage of Massachusetts (other than sports)
Check out award-winning UK Journalist Mike MacEachern’s story on Springfield and the Dr. Seuss Museum, published on BBC Travel in October. With BBC Travel’s reach of over 78 million people, this is another great result of Mr. MacEachern’s media visit to Massachusetts this past summer. Ireland’s TV3’s The Elaine Show in Ireland recently featured a Halloween special on Salem. Fast forward to 29:30 in this clip, to follow presenter Sarah Cleary’s journey to Boston and Salem. The Elaine Show’s 1 million viewers in Ireland will be getting a taste of Halloween in the Bay State.

Check out – North Shore in the news – BBC featured Kim Smith, Gloucester, Cape Ann and New England 

New International Flight
Delta will launch new nonstop daily service from Edinburgh, Scotland to Boston on May 23, 2019. Here’s the press release.

MA Sports Marketing Office Upcoming Sporting Events
International Volleyball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony, Springfield, Nov 10
135th “The Game:” Yale vs Harvard, Boston November 17
For a full schedule of major sporting events across Massachusetts, visit MAsportsoffice.com.

MA Film Office Film Festivals
Boston Jewish Film Festival – November 7 – 19
Northampton Film Festival – November 15 – 18
Boston International Kids Film Festival – November 16 – 18
For a full schedule of film festivals in Massachusetts, visit mafilm.org.

North Shore offerings: Cape Ann Cinema offers several festivals annually

BULLETIN BOARD – FREE means FREE!
With so many amazing free things to do in Massachusetts, we created a FREE category listing in our online calendar of events at massvacation.com. Now, you can feel free to add your organization’s cost-free events to MOTT’s year-round calendars. Just visit massvacation.com and click on ‘submit your listing’ on the bottom of the homepage. With questions, please reach out to John Alzapiedi.

By the Numbers MA Lodging Industry Performance
September, 2018 vs. September, 2017

Continue reading “Sign up for Mass Beer week, Applechusetts trail, Mass travel stats and FREE listings” →

The Art of Geoffrey Bayliss opens at Jane Deering Gallery

Posted on by Catherine

from Jane Deering Gallery-

GBayliss . Blue Harvest VE1 2017 . Reductive linoleum print . Plate 18x24 inches . Paper 22x30 inches.jpg

Jane Deering Gallery is pleased to present The Art of Geoffrey Bayliss, November 10-December 10 with an Open Reception Saturday November 17th from 1:00-4:00pm at 19 Pleasant Street, Gloucester. The artist’s latest work — two suites of unique linocut prints — will be on view in the exhibition titled Harvest.  Blue Harvest, a series of 13 prints in beautiful color, and the companion series, Red Harvest, achieve a range of complexity emblematic of the reductive technique. Accompanying the new prints is a flock of highly inventive papier-mâché birds, fresh from the studio and ready for new destinations. These delightful objects are the result of explorations in papier-mâché by Bayliss and artist/printmaker Coco Berkman with whom Bayliss continues to study. The artist has generously offered to donate his proceeds from the sale of these works-in-progress to The Open Door/Cape Ann Food Pantry.

Bayliss, a native of Gloucester, holds a BA in architecture from Columbia University. He has studied with artist Celia Eldridge, sculptor John Bozarth, printmaker Coco Berkman, and artist Charlotte Roberts.  His work is held in numerous private collections in the US.  This is the artist’s 3rd solo show with Jane Deering Gallery. The gallery will be open Saturday & Sunday 1-4pm, November 10 – December 10, and by chance or appointment at 917-902-4359, info@janedeeringgallery.com, 19 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, MA. 01930.

portrait of artist GEOFFREY BAYLISS ©Celia Eldridge_courtesy photo shared from Jane Deering Gallery_ Gloucester Ma.png
portrait of the artist Geoffrey Bayliss (photo credit: Celia Eldridge)

 

cultural districts across the state convened at Natick Center for the Arts MCC #powerofculture

Posted on by Catherine

Cape Ann participated in the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) statewide cultural district convening which was hosted by the Natick Center for the Arts. Statewide district gatherings occur once or twice a year: the last two were held in Cambridge, and Beverly. Representatives from Gloucester, Rockport and Essex cultural districts were in attendance. (Manchester and Ipswich do not not have a designation at this time. Gloucester could have seven.)

Massachusetts Cultural Council Director, Anita Walker, welcomed the crowd, and introduced officials from Natick and new additions to the MCC staff. Jill Cahill, Gloucester’s Director of Community Development, brought a gift from the Mayor and the City to add to a send-off  of thanks and well wishes for Meri Jenkins, longtime MCC leader who managed cities and towns through cultural facilities funding and district designations. Luis Edgardo Cotto and Justina Crawford will be taking over the MCC Community Initiative programs managed by Meri.

MERI JENKINS helped cities and towns statewide having served Massachusetts Cultural Council nearly 20+ years_©c ryan Oct 2018 MCC cultural district convening Natick MA venue.jpg

 

The MCC approved five year district renewals for both Rocky Neck and Rockport last year. District renewal for Gloucester’s downtown is underway. Essex received official citations for their renewal at this convening. Here’s a photo of Christopher Stepler, artist and Manager of Essex Shipbuilding Museum, and Lee Spence, former Director. One update they shared was that the successful historic exhibition The Women of Essex – Stories to Share displayed at Essex Town Hall in a renovated bright space on the top floor above the TOHP Burnham Public Library (thanks in part to Cultural Facilities funding) was selected to travel to the NPS regional Visitor Center in Salem.

courtesy photo_Essex District renewal_MCC cultural district convening at Natick Center for the Arts October 16 2018.jpg

 

prior GMG post with MCC October news 

ALL DAY celebration for momentous Virginia Lee Burton exhibition at Cape Ann Museum! November 3, 2018

Posted on by Catherine

press release from Cape Ann Museum:

The Little House image

“The Little House: Her Story

Exhibition Opening & All Day Celebration

GLOUCESTER, Mass. (October 25, 2018) – The Cape Ann Museum is pleased to present a day-long celebration to mark the opening of the special exhibition, The Little House: Her Story, on Saturday, November 3, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Throughout the day, watercolor painting in the CAM Activity Center and origami daisy making in the gallery will be available for all ages. The Little House will be read by Museum staff at 10:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. At 1:00 p.m. there will be a film-screening of Virginia Lee Burton: A Sense of Place with film producer Christine Lundberg. Light refreshments will be served in the gallery from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. This program is free for Museum members or with Museum admission.

The Little House: Her Story is a special exhibition featuring the work of beloved children’s book author & illustrator and founder of the Folly Cove Designers Virginia Lee Burton (1909–1968). In addition to Burton’s drawings, book illustrations and prints, an artfully-created scale model of her “Little House” will be on display in the gallery. The exhibition will remain on view through March 31, 2019.  

The “Little House” model was fabricated in Japan for a highly-anticipated exhibition held at the Takenaka Corporation Gallery A4 in Tokyo last summer in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the publication of Burton’s famous tale, The Little House. The exhibition paid tribute to Burton’s books and her work as the founder of the Folly Cove Designers, which have garnered widespread acclaim in Japan. The Tokyo exhibit was organized by Gallery A4 curator Michiyo Okabe, using original artwork and archival materials lent by the Cape Ann Museum, the Sawyer Free Library, the University of Minnesota, and the Burton-Demetrios Family.

The exhibition celebrates the life, art, and work of Virginia Lee Burton, one of Cape Ann’s most important artists whose legacy lives on today through her books and in the lifelong memories created for so many children. Burton, who lived and worked in the Folly Cove area of Gloucester for most of her adult life, was one of the 20th century’s most admired children’s book authors; a versatile and uniquely talented artist who enjoyed dance, design, writing, illustration and teaching. Through her children’s books – Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, Katy and the Big Snow, The Little House, and Maybelle the Cable Car among many others – she achieved her widest acclaim and was awarded the coveted Caldecott Medal in 1943 for The Little House. It was her fourth book, published by Houghton Mifflin Company, and was translated into Japanese in 1954 by Momoko Ishii, later becoming an international success. In 1964, Burton traveled to Japan for two weeks, invited by the American Cultural Center in Tokyo and was hosted by Ishii.

The Little House is a timeless story of a small, simple house in the country that gradually changes as urban expansion threatens its quiet, pastoral existence. Larger buildings, traffic, and development encroach on the house as it endures unwelcome change through the seasons and neglect once its owners move out. But, the family’s descendants realize its value, load it onto a trailer, and relocate it into the country once again. The Little House is a story about honoring beauty, the past, the natural world and all of its peacefulness. It has captivated readers from all cultural backgrounds for decades.

This exhibition and related programming was made possible through the support of the Takenaka Scholarship Foundation; the Cape Ann Savings Bank; Nancy LeGendre & Walter Herlihy; Mary Craven; Margaret Pearson; Christine & Stephen Kahane; Arthur Ryan; J.J. & Jackie Bell; Gib & Sarah Carey; Paul & Christine Lundberg; and Andrew Spindler. For more information about the exhibition and related programming, please visit the Museum’s website www.capeannmuseum.org. 

Image credits: Courtesy of the Cape Ann Museum.

Little House evite-schedule web

About the Cape Ann Museum Continue reading “ALL DAY celebration for momentous Virginia Lee Burton exhibition at Cape Ann Museum! November 3, 2018” →

Celebrating the Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage restoration and resiting at the Lanesville Community Center, #GloucesterMa

Posted on by Catherine
ROSS BURTON _Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage opens_Lanesville Community Center_Gloucester MA_20181021_© c ryan
Congratulations to Ross “Sandy” Burton, Chris Wagner, Russell Hobbs, Cheryl Mazer, Juidth Oleson, Christine Drohan, Carol Kelly, and many many other volunteers who rescued and repurposed Virginia Lee Burton artist studio into a most fitting new chapter

Come on inside the Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage which was once the acclaimed artist’s former studio of her own. Virginia Lee Burton’s personal studio was rescued and nestled into the Lanesville Community Center property. The center’s clubhouse and grounds, established in 1954, seem to be the ideal spot for a summer rec program, even more so now. As one enters the cottage through the custom built door, there’s a brand new window straight ahead where the stove and chimney – and asbestos– had been. Virginia Lee Burton needed a wood stove. Today’s visitors won’t. New materials and insulation make the cottage cozy and warm.

Folly Cove Designers.jpg
vs “The Barn” (1948) Folly Cove Designers large public space 

 

Chris Wagner president of community center and project manager_ ROSS Burton_ Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage opens_Lanesville Community Center_Gloucester MA_20181021_© c ryan
Chris Wagner & Ross Burton (with microphone)

At the celebration presentation on October 21, 2018, Chris Wagner, President of the Lanesville Community Center and project manager,  recounted some history. Virginia Lee Burton purchased her studio from the Building Center in 1963. It was a pre fab home that she repurposed for her needs. He explained that the volunteers leveraged outreach. The Building Center responded with “anything you need,” and was so supportive of the cottage regeneration that they offered the volunteers a $5000 credit towards building materials. It takes an inspiring and talented village. Other area businesses stepped up: Timberline donated shingles; Argentino handled plastering; Closed Cell Structures out of Reading handled the spray foam so the cottage was winterized; Carpenter & MacNeille designed and commissioned door and windows custom built by Chris Roe from Bayview; architectural drawings from Dore and Whittier; KML Electric; plants and flowers from Generous Gardeners; and cut sunflowers for the reception from Shaws. How inspiring to learn that Camilla MacFadyen, artist and textile extraordinaire, had a hand in this studio-raising. Character, warmth, and charm were added to the new exterior wood work. Volunteers salvaged what they could of the studio and rebuilt a gem. Work is still underway. When Burton exited her sanctuary studio, she faced the ocean. Now it’s an ocean of love. Plans for future community programs and events (see below) are underway and volunteers welcome.

 

 

Support for the cottage renewal came from residents of Gloucester via CPA funding and donations, various city staff departments (e.g. conservation and community development), and a slew of committed volunteers. Like Russell Hobbs! Here’s the modest presentation listing some key volunteers:

 

The poignant celebration was held inside the Lanesville Community Center and concluded with an apt recitation from a Little House passage read by Christine Drohan.

Judith Oleson (L) Cheryl Mazer (R)
Cheryl Mazer
Christine Drohan

Continue reading “Celebrating the Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage restoration and resiting at the Lanesville Community Center, #GloucesterMa” →

Big news for little house: Celebrate and tour Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage at Lanesville Community Center #GloucesterMA

Posted on by Catherine

Don’t you love happy news! Virginia Lee Burton’s actual studio was saved and painstakingly and faithfully rebuilt and relocated to its new permanent home at Lanesville Community Center, Gloucester, Ma, with the help of many. “The rebuilding process of the Virginia Lee Burton (VLB) writing cottage has started with the much-needed help of volunteers, a Community Preservation Act (CPA) grant from the City of Gloucester, private donations and corporate donations from Dore and Whittier of Newburyport, MA, DMS Machine and Fabrication of Barre, VT and the Gloucester Building Center.”

Mark your calendars for upcoming events beginning this weekend!

The Lanesville Community Center Board of Directors invites you to

“A Celebration and Preview of the Restoration of the Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage: An  opportunity to thank funders, donors and many community volunteers, Sunday, October 21, 1pm

Family Event: “First Reading” of Virginia Lee Burton’s books with Avis Burton Demetrios and Eleanor Demetrios, Saturday, October 27, 1pm

Children’s Drawing on October 27, 1-3pm to be displayed at the Cape Ann Museum children’s room

The Virginia Lee Burton Cottage was designated a historic building by the Gloucester Historical Society. Reconstruction was funded by a grant from the Gloucester Community Preservation Act.”

Virigina Lee Burton little house actual writing cottage restored and celebrated at Lanesville Community Center Gloucester Mass_Oct 2018 ©c ryan

 

 

Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage at Lanesville Community Center opening reception celebration flyer

Learn more and enjoy before and after photographs by visiting the VLB writing cottage website. Don’t miss the 2018 interview with Lee Natti

https://vlbwritingcottage.com/

Continue reading “Big news for little house: Celebrate and tour Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage at Lanesville Community Center #GloucesterMA” →