In the late 19th-early 20th century American artists began to gather in summer colonies that stretched from California to New England. In focused recognition of that development, this exhibition groups selected pairs of paintings or prints by artists who worked at very different north-east art colonies at Cape Ann (Gloucester and Rockport), Massachusetts on the one hand, and Monhegan Island, Maine on the other. These locations separated by a hundred miles of ocean became, as did many other contemporary art colonies, important crossroads in the history of American art as they hosted major artists through the years. In the case of these two colonies, figures such as Theresa Bernstein, Eric Hudson, Leon Kroll, Hayley Lever, James Fitzgerald, Lester Stevens, Stow Wengenroth and others visited, and sometimes lived, in both locations. This exhibition includes works by these and other artists from the collections of the Monhegan Museum of Art and History, the Cape Ann Museum, the Rockport Art Association, and private collections. Works by each of these and other artists depicting aspects of either location reflect the differences between the city-size Cape Ann, with its large industrial Gloucester harbor, sizable fishing fleet, and extended Rockport seashore, and by contrast the tiny off-shore island with its amazing cliff formations and smaller harbor and lobster fleet. Published by the Monhegan Museum of Art & History, Monhegan, Maine, to accompany the exhibition of the same name organized by the Monhegan Museum of Art & History and the Cape Ann Museum on view at the MMA&H from July 1 to September 30, 2021, and at the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester, Massachusetts, from October 23, 2021, to January 16, 2022.

Exhibition Catalog

Weather-beaten fish houses on the waterfront, the village homes and summer boarding houses, the majestic cliffs of the outer island and the busy harbor--these are the Monhegan Island scenes photographed in the late 1890s by photographer Eric Hudson. His works, in 125 duotone photographs, are featured in "An Eye for the Coast", with captions and text by Shettleworth and Bunting.

Cape Cod and its neighbouring islands, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, possess extraordinary beauty. Magnificent ocean vistas, spectacular sand dunes, quiet marshes, and historic seaside villages, bring people back year after year. For the inquiring visitor the remarkable stories of courage and enterprise by those who settled the land and shaped its character provide background for thoughtful reflection. This stunning new book features fifty of Kathryn Kleekamp's original oil paintings depicting land and seascapes along with rare historic photographs. Image and text capture the fundamental nature of this remarkable area: the heartbeat of those who farmed the land, fished the seas, captained the great schooners, or waited at home for a loved one's return. The historic vignettes explore major influences that made Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard what they are today. Traditional Cape and Island recipes found here are another link to the present from the past.