Reading the Past: A Calligraphic Installation

A one-day contemporary art installation at the White-Ellery House.

Reading the Past: A Calligraphic Installation by Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord

Using excerpts from the 1848 journal of a 13-year-old Gloucester girl, Gaylord’s installation will bring the rhythms of everyday life alive through her subject’s observations of school and home.

This program is free and open to the public.

Gaylord studied English literature at Boston University and since the late 1970s has been working with words, letterforms, design and expressive mark making. In 1992 she began an ongoing series of sculptural works called “Spirit Books.” As Gaylord says of this work, “These books connect my experience of the inherent spirituality and mystery of nature with the long-standing tradition of books as testaments of faith and belief.”

The White-Ellery House (1710), owned and operated by the Cape Ann Museum, has served as the backdrop for a series of one-day contemporary art installations since 2010. The House is located at 245 Washington Street in Gloucester and is free and open to the public on select Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each month from May through October as part of Escapes North 17th Century Saturdays.

Insights On Site – 2017 Season

Saturday, June 3
Reading the Past: A Calligraphic Installation — Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord
Using excerpts from the 1848 journal of a 13-year-old Gloucester girl, Gaylord’s installation will bring the rhythms of everyday life alive through her subject’s observations of school and home.

Saturday, July 1
Surf’s Up! — Cameron Ahearn, Kerry Sullivan and Jamie Hosker
A rare chance to see a collection of surfboards ranging from the mid 20th century through the present day. The collection was compiled by Ahearn’s father, and once adorned the walls of The Studio Restaurant on Gloucester’s Rocky Neck.

Saturday, August 5
Sphere — Sarah Slifer Swift
In this durational performance, Swift and company explore women’s social and political power through the lens of the historic White-Ellery House. Using movement, film and sound, the performers will examine the complexities of labor, value and respect, as they have been gained, lost or changed over time.

Saturday, October 7
Taking Care — Alyssa Pittman
In this installation Pittman explores the universal ritual of sweeping and investigates the act and practice of “taking care” of the spaces and places around us. Her work is inspired by the craft of broom making, by the broom as a powerful icon and by sweeping as a symbolic act.

Support for these programs was provided by The Umberto Romano and Clorinda Romano Foundation which celebrates Umberto Romano’s (1906–1982) legacy on Cape Ann through arts education and appreciation and by fostering the work of emerging and/or working artists.