Our Place; Our Stories

April 8, 2023 — June 4, 2023

Long-time residents and new visitors alike describe the sense of place they feel on Cape Ann. Its natural beauty and dramatic setting, craggy coastline and picturesque lighthouses have delighted and inspired generations.

This school year, CAM Education Manager Cathy Kelley visited every public third-grade classroom on Cape Ann and worked with students to create block prints as an artistic expression of place inspired by the Folly Cove Designers. In classrooms across Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester and Essex, students had thoughtful conversations about how “somewhere” becomes a “place” through the memories and experiences we associate with it. These memories inspire the sense of belonging so eloquently captured in the prints of the Folly Cove Designers and of this year’s hard-working and enthusiastic third grade students.

Our Place; Our Stories allows us to experience what this history means through the perspective and clarity of a child portraying the world they live in. Selections from the artwork of over 380 students across Cape Ann were printed on fabric in the style of the designers while original prints and stories from each student are in the books in the gallery.

This exhibition is generously funded by the 2022 CAM Luncheon Fund-A-Need, the Rockport Cultural Council, and the Manchester Cultural Council.