Letter: Museum grateful for support, welcomes residents
December 20, 2014
To the editor:
Cape Ann Museum wants to thank the community and reminds residents of free admission during the month of January.
The Cape Ann Museum celebrates “place.” For generations, the museum has been collecting and caring for the artistic, historical and cultural treasures inspired by and created in this remarkable place. And for generations, the community has helped support this activity.
All of us involved in the museum are grateful for the strong community support received during our recent closure and for the amazing reception received upon reopening in August.
More than 2,000 people visited during our opening week, enjoying the stunning exhibit of Fitz Henry Lane paintings in the redesigned Lane Gallery, the intimate display of the Folly Cove Designers textiles in their new gallery, and the impressive 10-foot tall Fresnel lens from the South Tower of Rockport’s Thacher Island installed at the entrance to the maritime wing.
The renovated spaces allow us to greatly improve not only how we display and safeguard the art and artifacts entrusted to us, but also to enliven and integrate the many stories of this singular place. Walking through the galleries, you cannot help but feel pride in the place we all call “home.”
If you haven’t visited since the reopening, don’t wait any longer. The historic Captain Elias Davis House is decorated for the holidays and the special exhibitions of the drawings of Stuart Davis and the sculpture of Walker Hancock and friends are not to be missed.
We encourage everyone to come in to see “Portraits of a Working Waterfront,” an exhibition featuring the men and women currently involved in the shore-side and off-shore groundfish fisheries. Presented in partnership with the Northeast Seafood Coalition, more than 70 photographs of a wide range of individuals – your family, friends and neighbors – are on exhibit. The show runs through Feb. 1.
During the month of January, admission is free to all Cape Ann residents – another reason not to wait! We will be hosting some great programs related to the Working Waterfront exhibition in the new year: an artist talk with photographer Jim Hooper; a panel discussion about Gloucester’s working waterfront; and, Sounds of the Working Waterfront, an original composition by composer Robert Bradshaw. Check the museum’s website at www.capeannmuseum.org for details.
Finally, the museum will be open in February, so visit our website for up-to-date program offerings, including school vacation activities for families and kids.
With a redesigned space and a reinstalled collection, we are telling Cape Ann’s story even better than before – a story that our community can be proud of and one that will inspire this and future generations to continue the tradition of creativity and invention that are hallmarks of this place.
We thank all of you for your enthusiasm, engagement and support of our vision and we look forward to seeing you often.
RONDA FALOON
Director, Cape Ann Museum
27 Pleasant Street, Gloucester
Link to GDT here.